Re:Vamp! Legacy of the Assassin
by Rayo Verrani
Summary: A revamped version of my old story, Legacy of the Assassin. Come join Shidyk D. Shade as he travels the Grand Line in his quest of revenge against the Revolutionary Black Crow!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to One Piece. I own only some of the OC's in this fan-fiction, and any place I make up.

_Italic_– Someone thinking

_Italic and Underline_– A flashback or Location shift

**_Bold and Italic_**– Terms that will be explained

**_Bold, Italic, and Underline_**– Journal entry, Bounties, Author notes, or Chapter

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**_Chapter 1: The Beginning of a Legacy_**

**_Excerpt from Isaac's Journal, Date being July 24:  
It has been two long years since our escape from Vice-Admiral Merrian's Base, and the little vacation we've been enjoying has finally bored Shade. Knowing Shade, he'll believe it is time that we went back to the Grand Line to finally settle the score between himself and his nemesis, the Black Crow. Hopefully, we will be getting some jobs to keep Shade occupied and out of trouble. Then again, it is Shade that we're talking about, and trouble never seems too far away when it comes to him..._**

"Alright, I just got to get some supplies and we'll be set for the Grand Line."

The young man looked about the open air market, checking the nearby stalls for the supplies that would get him and his friend through the next part of their journey. He was taller than most and had a youthful appearance despite his short, gray hair. He wore no shirt, showing a strong if thin body while his left arm was covered from palm to shoulder in bandages. His hazel eyes were both sharp and filled with the spirit of a man that was willing to fight for life, a true man amongst men.

His name was Shidyk D. Shade, and he was known across the seas as the "Misfire Assassin."

Shade gave a yawn as he looked around for a place that held the stuff he needed, and wished that he didn't need to go shopping. He had just woken up from a nap aboard his ship, the **_Black Dragon_**, and his partner had forced him into getting supplies as they had been running low for some time now. It took him a while to shake off the sleep but once they had properly docked, Shade had gone off to find half of the list that his friend had given him. Granted, he wished that the list was much smaller so that he could go back to his nap or maybe have some food to satisfy his stomach, but he didn't want to push any of his partner's buttons.

After a while, Shade found a stall that was selling the food and got the owner of the stall to start putting food into bags while Shade waited for him. Soon, the gray-haired young man noticed a bar nearby and grinned as his stomach proclaimed lunchtime. It was true that he needed to get supplies, but his partner had not told him anything about not having a light lunch while doing so. After paying for the groceries he had bought, Shade made his way into the bar, which was filled with several rough men from sailors to crooks. He didn't care, he had seen far worse during his travels and a few cutthroats were nothing but a few mild annoyances, like flies that buzzed around.

Shade made his way to the bar and sat down on one of the stools, putting his stuff down and grinned at the barkeep, "Yo, **_Ossan_**, I'll take five plates of meat and a barrel of grog!"

The barkeep looked up from the glass he was cleaning at Shade and laughed for a moment as he answered, "That's a good one! What ya really want?"

Shade glared at the man hard as he growled angrily, "I already told you what I want, so get it!"

The barkeep dropped the glass he had been cleaning, and the sound of it smashing into the ground was the only thing that was heard as the entire bar became silent. The fierceness of the man, plus the way that he had just growled had made everyone shiver in fear. Shade began to tap his fingers on the counter, which awoke the barkeep, whom practically shouted, "Right away, sir!"

Shade grumbled under his breath about the lousy service, and made a note not to come back to the bar if he ever did. He really didn't care what everyone else was thinking in the bar, nor did he want to know what they were thinking. That was the way he had always treated the world, at arm's length and with no interest of those around him. It wasn't a bad way to live, honestly, but it always seemed that people thought he was a jerk or a monster if he was in a bad mood.

The barkeep returned after a few minutes with Shade's order and gave it to him. The young man smiled like a child as he clapped his hands together and exclaimed, "**_Itadikamasu_**!"

Everyone nearly face faulted as Shade began to eat at high speed, none of them believing that they had been scared of him a few minutes ago. Shade ate happily, not caring what everyone else thought as he ordered another five plates and barrel of grog. In time, the other patrons began to have bets on how much Shade could eat and a few were even paying for his meals just to win the jackpot that was starting to form. As they continued to watch and cheer Shade on, the door to the bar opened and everyone looked to see who had come in now.

A young man looked at the entire bar for a moment before he started to walk towards the bar counter where Shade sat. He was of light built, but from the look of him you knew right away that he could stand up to the best of them. He wore a black suit and a matching pair of shoes and pants, making it hard to know if he was going to a funeral or if he were some young businessman. His messy black hair was tied into a ponytail so as to not get in the way, and he wore a pair of sunglasses that hid his brown eyes away from the world. Upon his suit he wore a strange design: it seemed to be a cross with circles at the ends and the middle but it was put in a diagonal angle that made it look more like an X than a cross.

The young man sat beside Shade as he asked the barkeep, "Do you have any beer left?"

The barkeep nodded and served the fellow a glass as Shade continued his onslaught of the food before him. When Shade finally noticed the other man, he almost choked when he saw who it was and began to cough as he tried to dislodge the food that had gotten stuck. After hitting himself on the chest for a few minutes, he grabbed one of the small barrels of beer and drank heavily.

As Shade recovered from his minor shock, the dark-haired young man asked, "So how have you been, Shade? I haven't heard from you in two years and I was starting to think that the World Government finally caught you."

Shade smirked back, as he finished getting his breath back, "It's been way too long, Rayo. I've just been laying low for a while."

Rayo nodded as he sipped his drink, "Yeah, two-years' worth. So what have you been up to lately?"

Shade shrugged as he bit into another meat rack, "Not much, just training and sailing around with my partner."

Rayo chuckled, "I'm surprised you haven't eaten both you and your friend out of house and home."

Shade ate another meat rack, a glare in his eye, "Don't push it…"

Rayo chuckled again, "Sorry, sorry. I keep forgetting that you get touchy about that," he then turned serious; "I've been getting a lot of news nowadays about a rookie from East Blue."

Shade drank some beer, his curiosity getting the better of him, "Who?"

Rayo fished something from within his suit and presented Shade with a bounty poster that looked fresh from the printing press. Shade took the poster and looked to see the person Rayo was talking about, and was surprised to see some kid. The kid was smiling broadly and had one of his hands held in front of the picture, a straw hat on his head as he looked at camera from the ruins of some building. Shade wondered if the kid had destroyed the building or if it had been like that before the kid had come around and looked at the name of the kid:

**_Wanted Dead or Alive:_**

**_Monkey D. Luffy a.k.a. "Straw Hat Luffy"_**

**_Reward: 30 Million Belli_**

Shade handed Rayo the bounty poster back, "What's so special about the kid?"

Rayo pocketed the bounty poster and adjusted his sunglasses, "This kid took down a lot of big names here in East Blue, including the Fishman known as "Saw-Tooth" Arlong, and from what my sources say, he also took down Buggy the Clown and Don Krieg of the Pirate Armada."

Shade snorted and waved off the names that his friend had mentioned, "Small fry…"

Rayo had a small grin, despite knowing better, "Shade, the kid isn't you. I doubt he could get a bounty like yours in the amount of time you got yours."

Shade bit into another meat rack as he muttered nonchalantly, "Whatever."

After that both men were silent as Shade continued to eat his meals and drinks, wondering why Rayo would start with some small news like a new rookie on the scene. During this day and age, rookies like "Straw Hat"Luffy tended to pop up from time to time and the Marines would start to get antsy. Granted, the bounty on the kid was probably the largest in all of East Blue, but it wasn't something that Shade was impressed with.

Rayo then broke the silence between them, "I also heard that _he's _on the move again…"

Shade stopped in mid-bite, knowing exactly who Rayo was talking about the moment he spoke up, "Do you have a location?"

Rayo nodded, "Apparently, he's been sighted in a Grand Line island called Alabasta with one of the Shichibukai. The one known as Sir Crocodile, I believe."

Shade took a swing of his beer, confusion written on his face, "Why would he be with one of the World Government's lapdogs?"

Rayo shrugged, apparently just as confused as Shade, "Don't know, but it must be something big for him to be so close to the entrance of the Grand Line."

Shade threw the bone of the meat rack back on to the plate and stood up, "Guess that means I better get going."

As Shade got his things and began to leave, he looked back at the barkeep and grinned, "Oi, Ossan, give my friend there my bill."

Rayo was soon given the bill and after reading the total, his face went livid, "THAT BASTARD!"

Shade grinned hearing Rayo's outcry at having seen the bill that he had left him and almost felt bad about doing so.

Almost.

_Later…_

Shade checked the list of supplies one last time, making sure he had not forgotten anything as the people past him while he sat near the execution scaffold where the late Pirate King, Gold Roger, had been executed on. He had chosen to sit near the scaffold because a lot of people tended to avoid the relic that was considered a holy item by pirates. True, it had been meant to be a beacon of strength for the World Government but that had all backfired when Roger uttered the words of his treasure, the One Piece. Shade couldn't care less about Roger or the One Piece, but he had to give the man respect for he had shown no weakness even near his death.

Seeing that he had not missed anything, Shade was getting ready to leave when a shout made him looked up in time to catch a large piece of debris, the size of a boulder, fly at him. Everything around him seem to slow down as Shade readied himself and pulled back his right arm, his eyes locked on the large piece of debris. As the flying boulder-sized stone flew closer and closer, he felt his arm tense for a second before he let his fist fly. Fist and stone met in the air and nothing seemed to happen for a moment and the world seemed to hold its breath while the two touched. Then a crack appeared on the boulder before the giant piece of stone suddenly shattered as more cracks overwhelmed it and the debris fell apart before Shade.

When the dust settled down, Shade was greeted by the sight of several men chasing some citizens around while three large men with cannons fired here and there, causing damage as they entered the square. Shade could tell that the men were probably pirates, and judging from the way they were acting, they were probably getting ready to enter the Grand Line in high spirits. He couldn't believe such a bunch of amateurs were causing disorder in Lougetown, and his blood began to boil as he looked back at the scaffold.

He soon walked towards the three leaders as they laughed and fired each and every way, not caring who got in the way. The largest of the three soon took notice of Shade and stopped firing as he sneered and made it clear he wasn't impressed by his attitude, "Who the hell are you?"

Shade looked at him and crossed his arms, "I don't give my name to pieces of crap that go around blowing stuff up to get a kick out of things."

The three large men looked at Shade in disbelief before they erupted in laughter and made it clear that they weren't taken him seriously. The second tallest pointed at Shade, a stupid grin on his face, "You don't seem to know who we are! We're the Legendary Ogres of the East Blue!"

The smallest man, one who was slightly larger than Shade, posed and shouted, "Terry the Gray Ogre!"

The second man then posed almost immediately, "Billy the Yellow Ogre!"

The tallest then pointed at himself with his thumb, "And I'm Rick the Silver Ogre!"

Shade couldn't believe what he was hearing or seeing after the three introduced themselves. He wondered what kind of an idiot one had to be to actually pose while they introduce themselves to someone. He almost lost his anger out of pure disbelief at how the three were acting and would've left if he didn't remember that the three were doing something that annoyed him.

Terry then pointed his cannon at Shade, "And now that we've introduced ourselves, you can either tell us who you are or get blown to bits!"

Shade then noticed that he was surrounded by the men that had been chasing civilians' only moments ago and caught on that they had set him up for this. He noticed that almost all of them had some sort of weapon and tattoos of skulls and crossbones covering their bodies. He couldn't believe that the "Ogres" were using such a pathetic tactic on him and sighed out loud, "You three think numbers are going to make a difference here?"

Billy laughed as he answered, "How about if we see!? Men, scatter this bastard's body all over the place!"

The men shouted acknowledgement of their boss's orders and rushed at Shade, each of them drawing their weapons. As the first man came at him, Shade merely ducked as a sword was thrust at the place his head had been a moment ago as he flicked the man's exposed gut. The man's eye bulged and he went flying into his friends, toppling them over like pieces of dominos. As another aimed his gun at him, Shade quickly grabbed the sword the first man had dropped and tossed at the guy, cutting his hand before he sprung and knocked the man on the floor with a punch. Another man jumped him from behind, his sword above his head ready to cut Shade's head, only to be stopped as the gun that the second fellow used fell to the floor, fired, and hit him on the shoulder. Shade merely spun and grabbed the man before he smashed him into the pavement with a simple shoulder toss.

The Ogre Brothers watched in complete awe and horror as their crew began to thin out in their attempt to kill the gray-haired young man. They could not understand how it seemed that whenever someone attacked this insolent fellow, something wrong happened and the next would fall. Soon the men that had attacked Shade were all knocked out and the three "Ogres" were the only ones left standing amidst their crew's moaning and pleading for mercy.

Shade casually cracked his neck, as if he had done nothing but a light workout and looked at the trio, "Is that all? I was hoping for a real warm up at least…"

Rick growled as Shade's attitude rubbed him the wrong way, "So you want to mock us!? Then take this!"

Soon all three of the "Ogres" pointed their cannons at Shade and shouted in unison, "**_Triple Ogre Blast_**!"

The cannons of the "Ogres" all fired at the same time, and the cannonballs soon hit Shade dead on. The "Ogres" laughed as Terry boasted to his comrades, "Let's see him get up from that blast!"

As the dust settled, the "Ogres" silently gasped and their jaws fell wide open as Shade appeared from the veil of dust and debris unharmed, tossing one of the cannonballs absentmindedly while the other two lay at his feet. Shade cracked his neck again as he asked, "Are you three done goofing off?"

Billy was the first to recover as he shouted, "That's impossible! How did you survive our special _Triple Ogre Blast_!?"

Shade grinned at them as he flexed his arm a bit, "Why don't I show you?"

The three large men watched as Shade's left arm began to spark odd colored flames before a black flame began to wrap around his appendage like a serpent. The three men could sense something wrong with the flame, almost as if it were searching for something. The flame soon wrapped around the cannonball, engulfing it completely for several seconds before it disappeared and the three large men were shocked the moment they saw the cannonball again. It had rusted completely and become brittle, as though it had aged for over a hundred years within the flames it had been engulfed with. Shade soon gripped the rusted cannonball and crushed it as if it were paper, the remains scattering in a burst of dust.

Shade dusted his hands off from the debris and let one of his boots crushed one of the two remaining cannonballs, and like its former comrade, it burst into dust at the pressure. The three "Ogres" realized that Shade had engulfed their ammunition in the strange black flames and had made them brittle enough that they had lost all of the power that they had had.

That was when Billy realized with cold fear who they were dealing with, "Wait, I know you! You're…you're **_"Shade of the Devouring Fist!"_** The **_Misfire Assassin_**!"

Rick jumped back at the declaration, "What!? _He's_ the guy with 324 million Belli on his head!?"

Shade began to make his towards the three without any concern at the declaration, his eyes filled with the rage he had pent up, "You three picked a fight with me, and that's a good reason for me to beat the hell out of you. What really annoyed me, though, is the gall you three have in trying to destroy the island of Gold Roger."

The three "Ogres" were ready to scream and run like little girls as the three felt the aura of wrath around the gray-haired young man. They knew, of course, that this island had been the Pirate King's birth place and where they finally executed him. They had plan on making a lot of noise to cause fear to the Marines and the World Government before they headed towards the Grand Line. They didn't know why an assassin would be angered for them doing what pirates did, but none of them wanted to die and knew they had only one option.

All three "Ogres" fell to their knees, their heads on the ground at the same time, "Please have mercy, Shade-sama! Please, we'll do anything!"

Shade just kept walking until he was before the three and a malicious grin spread across his face, "Mercy's gotta be earned."

The three men's scream were heard throughout the town as Shade punished the trio for their actions.

_Later…_

Shade made his way towards the dock as the sun began to sink into the ocean, spraying an orange glow across the waters. He always did like sunsets as it was during these times that he always felt at ease from everything that was occurring around him. As he made his way to his schooner and began to load the groceries he had gotten from the market, he felt a very familiar presence appear from within the ship.

He smiled and waved as he greeted the emerging figure, "Hey, Isaac, I'm back!"

In return to his friendly greeting a shoe was thrown right in Shade's face, smacking him and making him fall flat on his rear. He winced as the figure soon stood before him, glaring daggers at him, "I sent you out hours ago! I thought the Marines caught you with all that screaming I was hearing!"

This was Isaac Schrodinger, one of Shade's oldest friend and perhaps the brother he had never asked for or wanted. He was about a head smaller than Shade but with the way he acted, Shade always felt that Isaac could tower over him. His wavy blonde hair reached nearly past his chest, though it was held in place by a ponytail that let only a few loose bangs down. His golden yellow eyes might've been behind a pair of glasses, but the stern look he was giving Shade was one that would've sent others running. He was even dressed sharp with a white suit that had a red shirt peeking from beneath while a necklace dangled around his neck.

He took the shoe he had thrown at Shade and fixed back on his foot before he began to address him, "How many times have I told you to only do what's on the list and not gain any attention while we're resupplying the ship!?"

Shade tried to calm his friend while he held his arms before him to save him from any more flying weapons, "I was, I swear! I kind of got caught in a little brawl with some idiots that I needed to teach a lesson-"

Isaac looked furious, "You got into another fight!?"

Shade tried again to calm the blonde down, "They were tearing up the place! I couldn't just let them do that, could I?"

Isaac grabbed Shade by the ear as he stormed towards the door that let inside the ship, "Just for that, you're getting veggies for dinner only tonight!"

Shade looked as though he had seen death and began to panic, "Not vegetables, Isaac! I swear it was just, I swear!"

_Meanwhile; somewhere in the Grand Line…_

The Marine Officer watched as his men fought the pirates aboard the enemy's ship from his own ship with mild interest. They had come across the ship out of pure accident, and being Marines, they could not let the scoundrels go free. He was in a rather good mood despite the turn of events as he had settled his son and daughter down for a nap and it looked like he was finally going to get a small break from him to actually do something.

He checked his reflection on a nearby mirror and adjusted the jacket with the word "Justice" again as it seemed to be off. He was a tall man, towering over others, but with his youthful countenance, it seemed odd for him to be in his forties. His blonde hair was slicked back, but no one could tell due to the cowboy hat he wore to cover his head. His fine gray, silk suit was done properly at least, and even the white shirt underneath hid the muscles in his body that had not faded. His green eyes shone brightly in the fading sun, eyes that were capable of showing both humor and wrath equally.

He was Vice-Admiral Jack "Hundred Man" Merrian, the commandant of the Marines' Special Forces Unit and a feared man across the seas.

Merrian looked to his side and motioned to a lovely woman who was sipping tea, "Tell me Uzu-chan, what's the name of the pirate that Dalu and Bones are taking care of the moment?"

Standing beside him was both his wife and the secretary that followed him in all of his travels across the Grand Line. She was clad in what looked like a secretary's attire as well, with a white skirt and matching jacket while a light blue shirt glowed from underneath the jacket. Her blue eyes, much like Merrian's, shone slightly in the fading light even from behind the glasses. Her light violet hair was tossed a bit from the wind that was blowing, and Merrian could only think how beautiful she looked today as the sounds of battle began to seize.

Her name was Uzura Merrian and she was, to Merrian, the most beautiful woman in the world.

Uzura looked at the bounty poster someone had printed off and delivered to her when they had spotted the ship, "I believe he's called Kumo the Deadly, and he's worth 58 million Belli."

Merrian gave a nod as he adjusted his jacket, "I suppose he'll be a decent bonus. Goodness knows the Officials will be happy to have another criminal for the gallows."

Suddenly one of the soldiers ran towards the pair and saluted a few feet away, "Vice-Admiral Merrian! Captain Daluand Lieutenant Boneshave just captured Kumo the Deadly!"

Merrian nodded and waved the man off, "Tell them to put him in the brig with the rest."

The soldier nodded and ran off in the direction that he had come after giving another salute. Merrian could see from where he and Uzura was three people come aboard his ship, and was glad to see his subordinates had not suffered any injuries.

The first of the two was a woman with a dark complexion to her skin and curly black hair that was held back with a headband. She was dressed in an open purple shirt that was tucked into a red sash around her waist and finished off with a pair of blue pants along with black, knee-high boots. She was definitely fit, not muscled per se, but anyone who saw her could tell immediately that was athletic, even though she only had one arm, leaving a loose sleeve pinned up near her shoulder. She walked briskly, pulling the captured pirate captain with her good arm with a stern look in her eyes.

The second fellow was taller that the other two but like the woman, he too had a dark tone to his skin and had black hair that hung around messily. Though he wore a simple white business shirt and gray pants, one of the odd features to his clothing had to be the black frock coat he was wearing with the symbol of the Marines upon his breast pocket. What truly was odd about this man was that he seemed terribly thin, and looked more along the lines of a skeleton than a person. Despite his appearance, he carried himself along as anyone else and did not seem to mind when others looked away from him.

Merrian decided to greet them both, "Glad to see you two are safe."

The woman, Captain Dalu, scoffed, "For this piece of trash? We could've sent Bones alone."

The man, Lieutenant Zachariah Bones, looked surprised, "Are you actually complimenting me, Dalu?"

Dalu sneered at Bones, "I'm insulting you, moron."

Bones looked ready to give a quick jab at his comrade but Merrian decide to step in, "Well done, you two. Be sure to take this man to the brig."

Both nodded but the distraction of their commander's appearance had been enough for Dalu to loosen her grip and Kumo jumped back, panting from the obvious beating he had taking. He glared at the Marine Officers and barely croaked out, "I'm not…going down that easy!"

Merrian sighed at the pirate's action and crossed his arm in an effort to be patient, "Would it kill you to come quietly? I just put my children to sleep and I don't want them waking up until we land somewhere."

Kumo seemed surprised at this and exclaimed quite loudly his shock, "You have kids!?"

Merrian was patient man, but he was not known to be gentle to pirate or any type of criminal. With one swift motion, he kicked the poor pirate across the deck like he was a football before Kumo landed with audible thud on the other side of the deck.

He growled under his breath at the noise, "Honestly, couldn't he have landed with less noise?"

Bones was the one to speak up when he caught what Merrian said, "But you kind of kicked him…"

Dalu knew better than to say anything of the sort to Merrian and quickly grabbed her fellow officer, "We'll get him to the brig now, sir!"

With that, Dalu and Bones went to get the out cold pirate from the wreckage his landing had caused while a child's wail began to sound from somewhere. Uzura sighed as she looked from where the crying was coming from, "Seems that Don has woke up, dear."

Merrian sighed and knew it would take hours to settle his son back to sleep.

**_END OF CHAPTER 1_**

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**_Translations and Explanations Section: _**  
Okay this is where I tell you a little bit more about the terms I used for my fan-fiction. They may or may not be perfect, so please comment if I had done some sort of error. This is also where you'll find out more about the next chapter.

**_Black Dragon_** – Shade and Isaac's ship, a schooner-type that helps them get through the seas.

**_Ossan _**- A term that means "Old man"

**_Itadikamasu _**- The Japanese way of giving prayers, it roughly translates to "Thank you for the food.

**_Triple Ogre Blast _**– The Ogres of the East Blue attack. It's just a basic cannon blast from all three "Ogres."

**_Shade of the Devouring Fist_** – One of Shade's alias.

**_Misfire Assassin_** – Another of Shade's alias and the one people tend to connect him with.

"**_Hundred Man" Merrian _**– Vice-Admiral Jack Merrian's nickname.

_Shade: On the next Chapter of Legacy of the Assassin!_

_Paikea: Someone! Please help me!_

_Shade: Sure I'll take you back to Skypeia…as soon as I can figure out where it is._

_Toby Dicey: Who the hell are you!?_

_Isaac: The Axe-Head Pirates? Never heard of them._

_Paikea: Next time on Legacy of the Assassin! __**The Girl who fell from the Sky – Welcome to the Grand Line!**_

**_Well here is the first chapter of the redone Legacy of the Assassin. I'm sorry it took so long, and I also want to apologize to the fans of the old version for deleting the previous one. I hope this chapter was enjoyable and hope that you liked all the characters that will be introduced during the course of this story._**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to One Piece. I own only some of the OC's in this fan-fiction, and any place I make up.

_Italic_– Someone thinking

_Italic and Underline_– A flashback or Location shift

_**Bold and Italic**_– Terms that will be explained

_**Bold, Italic, and Underline**_– Journal entry, Bounties, Author notes, or Chapter

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_**Chapter 2: The Girl that Fell from the Sky – Welcome to the Grand Line!**_

_**Excerpt from Isaac's Journal, Date being July 25th:  
We've left Lougetown behind, and after learning what Shade did back there, I decided to let him have a little more meat on his plate this time. I suppose I was a bit unfair to him, but considering his usual nature, I had some rights in punishing him. Once we've passed the Reverse Mountain pass, we'll be seeing Grand Line again after years in East Blue. I just hope that we don't run into more trouble like what happened two years ago...**_

Shade hollered with joy as the _**Black Dragon**_ slid down Reverse Mountain, enjoying the ride as if it were a roller coaster. He had forgotten how fun it was to ride the large and mysterious stream, but he always enjoyed being able doing so. Isaac, from his position at the helm, could only shake his head at the storm-haired man and tried to figure out how someone Shade's age could act like a kid during a moment like this. Granted, Shade did have his serious side, but Isaac knew that for someone with Shade's history, it was the little things in life that helped remove the tension of their jobs.

The ship landed back on ocean water and on either side was the famous Twin Capes and its lighthouses. Shade laughed as he sat on the rail and looked at the capes, "Oi, Isaac, think old man Crocus is around today?"

As if in answer, a shadow suddenly covered the ship and both looked up to see what appeared to be a mountain of some sort that had not been there before. Both men weren't scared; however, as they knew that this mountain was no mountain, but a large whale called Laboon that lived near the Twin Capes. The whale was easily capable of swallowing their boat if they weren't careful, but Laboon was rather peaceful overall when compared to the other beasts of the Grand Line.

Shade waved his arms at the giant eye, laughing again as he called to the whale, "Laboon! I haven't seen you in years, big guy! How are you doing?"

Laboon gave a happy cry after seeing who it was, apparently remembering the two from before and even smiled as Isaac gave it a small wave. After the three finished their short reunion, a man came out of one of the lighthouses and spotted the small ship from where he stood. He was an old fellow had a rather stocky and muscular body, and though he was bald on the top, he had white hair and an odd yellow petal-like things sticking around his head like a flower. The flower-headed man had a white beard that split in two and his lower lip was noticeably larger than his upper.

Shade caught sight of the man, he broke into a grin as he called, "Oi! Old man Crocus, how are ya!?"

"I can hear you, you young idiot," Crocus called back with a frown, though soon it was replaced as he made his way to the edge of the cliff, "It's been a while, you two, thought you had disappeared after reading up on that stunt of yours two years ago."

Shade laughed sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head while Isaac sighed in a tired manner. The blonde man crossed his arm and looked rather disapproving, "You can blame that one on Shade here. He has a penchant for the flashiest and most reckless stunts in the world."

Crocus laughed as he crossed his arms, "Aye, reminds me of another idiot I knew who loved reckless stunts himself."

Shade pouted like a small child being told he couldn't have any cookies before dinner and turned his head away from them, "Fine, make fun of me, why don't ya?"

Isaac and Crocus both laughed again at Shade's expense before the storm-haired young man noticed something odd on Laboon's head. It looked like a child had painted on the whale's head, covering up fifty years' worth of scars the whale had received from smashing its head into Reverse Mountain. The image took a minute for him to figure it out, but Shade soon realized that the picture was that of a skull with a straw hat. It seemed familiar.

Shade called out to Crocus and pointed at the odd drawing, "Oi, old man, what the heck is that on Laboon?"

Crocus told them about a traveling group of pirates and their young captain, who befriended Laboon much like they had two years prior. Laboon had swallowed the ship the pirates had come from and the captain had gotten into a tussle before making a promise with the whale that they would see each other again. Shade and Isaac remembered how Crocus had once told them the story of Laboon and understood that the captain had given the poor whale new hope after so many years of waiting for a dead crew.

Shade decided to find out who Crocus was talking about, "So, what was the crew's name?"

Crocus looked rather amused as he looked at the picture on Laboon's head, "They were the Straw Hat Pirates."

A spark appeared behind Shade's eye and he quickly motioned for Isaac to get the ship, going with a hand gesture they had developed over the years to communicate quietly. Isaac waved at Crocus as the ship began to sail into the open water and he looked at the Log Pose that he had strapped on just before entering Reverse Mountain, confirming that it was already locked on to the next island.

Once the ship was far enough, Isaac asked, "Alright, Shade, what exactly got you riled up so much that we had to leave immediately?"

Shade sat back on the rail as the ship cut across the waves, "Well, Rayo-"

Isaac couldn't help but let loose a grumble of displeasure, "What did _he_ have to say?"

Shade frowned and crossed his arms, "Come on, Isaac, I know he can be difficult but he's not a bad guy."

Isaac's displeasure was still on his face but he knew that Shade was stubborn about the people he considered his friends and decided to change the subject, "So what did he want?"

Shade told Isaac of the Straw Hat Pirates and their captain, Monkey D. Luffy, and how Rayo seemed interested in him for coming out of the blue as he had. The blonde man could understand Shade's interest after seeing the crude drawing that Straw Hat Luffy had left on Laboon. You had to be pretty crazy to attack a large whale. If Shade was interested on this rookie, then Isaac knew that Shade would make them both hunt him down to get a fight out of him.

Before Isaac could tell Shade not to start any fights again, both heard a scream that seemed to come from all over. Then they realized it was coming from above. The duo looked up in time to see someone free-falling towards their ship, and from the size, they instantly knew that the free-falling someone was a child. At once, Shade leapt into action and jumped up to the mast, grabbing one of the ropes that held the sail and leapt off the ship. In one swift motion, Shade caught the child under his arm and swung back to the ship, landing as if he had only jumped a few feet up instead of above the mast.

Isaac let go of the helm and got to Shade's side to inspect their catch, and let out a gasp the moment he saw the small girl in Shade's arms. She was probably about ten years old and had a simple fur dress on along with a yellow ribbon that was holding back her light-green hair. The one thing that drew his attention, however, were the two small wings sticking out of her back.

Isaac had seen one other person with these wings and that person had been very close. He managed to murmur, "She's like Sage."

Isaac frowned as memories of his lover, Sage Holiday, began to surface after so many years of trying hard to forget. Sage had entered the Assassin's Guild, the guild that both Shade and Isaac answered to, a few years before Shade and was considered quite the assassin. Sage had been part of a pirate called the Okama Pirates and had been a rather successful marksman with their crew before it disbanded. This is what led to him being scouted and accepted into the guild. Isaac almost immediately fell in love with the winged man, but Sage wasn't fond of the guild and wanted to return to his homeland one day. Sage had been killed on a job and, in the end; his dream of returning to his homeland had also expired.

Isaac fiddled with a charm on his wrist that Sage had left him as a gift the last time they had seen each other. It was just a simple bracelet charm with a few beads on it, worn from all the years it had been on Isaac's wrist. Sage had told Isaac that it was a charm that his mother had given to him as a child and that it would help lead him back home one day. Isaac had not been able to find the way back to Sage's homeland, but now opportunity seemed to be calling him after having deposited this child in their ship.

Isaac took the child from Shade and headed inside the ship, through the lounge that served as a kitchen, and down to a spare room that Shade and he had decided to use for guests. Not that they had many guests, but both agreed that if they ever did run into someone that needed a lift for some reason and it wasn't too out of their way, then they give them the room. Isaac set the child in the hammock that served as the room's bed and covered her with the blanket, making sure she was comfortable.

Shade came into the room in time to see Isaac staring quietly at the child, lost in thought. He patted his friend's shoulder and smiled as he jabbed a thumb behind him, "Why don't you go and make a meal for her? I'll keep an eye on her in the meantime."

Isaac nodded after a moment and exited the room, leaving Shade with the strange child. Shade took one of the books off the small desk that was in the room and sat down on an empty chair. There had been something that was bugging him, a memory that was tugging at the back of his mind like an anchor that had gotten stuck somehow and was trying to be raised. The book he had picked up had been one of his favorites as a child; one that always reminded him of better times with his family, back before the Incident.

He forced the dark memories back and focused on the book instead, in the hopes of figuring out the strange feeling he had. The book was called "_King of Liars, Noland_" and it was rather famous in the North Blue. It was about a great explorer Montblanc Noland, a man who had sailed the Blues and had come to an island of gold out at sea and returned home to tell of the fantastic island. When the king and Noland returned to find the island, however, there was no island, no gold. Just dense jungle. The king believed Noland to be a liar. The moral of the story that liars always get what they deserve, and poor Noland had been executed while he lied with a smile.

Even as a child, Shade could tell that the story was wrong and someone like Noland couldn't have possibly lied about such a place, and with a smile no less. He knew that Noland must've found an island of gold somewhere out there and had just missed it somehow when he and the king went to find it. As he read the story, he could not help but feel sorry for Noland and those descended from him, wondering how people could be so cruel that they would execute a man for what they believe was a lie.

As Shade got to the part where Noland would tell the king about the "Island of Gold," he heard a moan come from the hammock and knew that their guest was waking up. He sighed as he closed the book, "Figures…it's always at the good part that you get an interruption…"

He got up and smiled as the little girl looked at her surroundings, and gave her a wave, "So, how you feeling?"

Upon seeing Shade, the little girl screamed at the top of her lungs as she tried to get herself untangled from her blanket. Unfortunately, her actions resulted in her falling from her hammock in a tangled mess. Shade tried to help her out but had to avoid getting kicked and bitten by the feisty child before Isaac came into the room.

"What's going on?!"

Shade tried to explain, but the girl's screams made it impossible to get anything out and he couldn't take much more. He looked at the girl and took a deep breath before he let loose, "SHUT UP!"

Almost immediately, the little girl stopped screaming and tried to use the blanket now as both a shield and rag as she cleaned her face. Isaac looked disapprovingly at his friend, "Shade, that's no way to treat a little girl-"

The little girl looked angrily at Isaac and got up before proclaiming, "I'm not a little girl! I'm a Shandian Warrior!"

Shade couldn't help but snort at the proclamation, "Never heard a warrior scream quite like you did."

Before another score of chaos could ensue, Isaac was able to distract their guest when he kneeled to her level and turned on the charm, "If you're real Shandian, do you know what this is?"

The little girl looked curiously at the charm before her eyes went wide, "That looks like an old Shandian good luck charm!"

Isaac looked somewhat grim but continued, "This was given to me by my lover. He said that he came from a land in the sky. Did you come from there?"

The little girl looked at Isaac uneasily before looking at Shade and then back at Isaac. She sniffed and looked scared before she began to bawl before the two. It took them a bit of time to calm her down so that she would talk, but in the end, the three were in the lounge of the Black Dragon having some tea that Isaac had whipped up along with some cookies. The little girl had introduced herself as Paikea, and just as Shade and Isaac had deduced, she came from an island in the sky called Skypeia and was part of the same tribe that Sage had been. She had gone out to get some sky-fish to eat and her boat had gotten attacked. She fell through the cloud sea and ended up falling down into open sky.

Shade and Isaac shared a glance with one another and had a silent agreement that they had to get to Skypeia, not just because they needed to return Paikea to her home but so that they could learn more about Isaac's former lover. Shade petted the child and gave her a reassuring grin, "Guess that means we gotta get you home."

Paikea was shocked but after seeing Isaac nod in agreement, she looked down at her lap and sniffed again, "T-thank you…I'm sorry I tried to hurt you, Mr. Blue-Sea Dweller."

Shade waved it off as he grabbed another cookie, "Don't sweat it, kid, and called me Shade. The blonde guy's name is Isaac."

The three eventually moved back on the deck of the Black Dragon, Shade telling Paikea all the adventures that he and Isaac had had during their time in the Grand Line while Isaac guided the ship across the sea. Isaac smiled inwardly, seeing the change in both Shade and Paikea as the storm-haired man interacted with the lost Shandian girl. Isaac wondered for a bit how Sage would've reacted to seeing another of his tribe here in the Blue Sea, and could only conclude that his former lover would've been overjoyed to see someone from his home again. It was a bittersweet moment for Isaac as the memory of Sage lingered, but like Shade, Isaac knew that he had to take this child back to her home.

Isaac's reminiscing was cut short as he caught sight of their destination and called to the two, "Land ho!"

The moment Paikea laid eyes on the island, she looked as if she was seeing a fantastical creature or the world's greatest treasure, "That island is made up of _**Vearth**_!"

Shade was confused at the exclamation and looked at the child, "Vearth? What the hell is Vearth?"

Isaac watched as Paikea began to berate Shade for his ignorance and chuckled at the plight of his friend as he made his way to the island. The island was known as Whisky Peak, an odd island since the rock formations gave the island a cacti appearance when seen from afar. Shade and Isaac had passed it a few times before but had never landed as they had no need to stop there.

The blonde man decided to save his friend from the attack of the young Shandian and called out, "Let's get ready to land, Shade!"

_Later; in Whisky Peak…_

Shade couldn't help but whistle at the gruesome sight before the three after having landed upon Whisky Peak. It was a mess. Several people were injured; many more were unconscious. Even some of the buildings around the path they were on seemed to have been destroyed recently. It was a miracle a few of them were even standing. Shade could even see a smoke stack from a far off building, likely from a dying fire with how thin the smoke was.

All in all, the entire town looked like it had fought with an army and had lost.

What caught Shade's attention the most, however, had to be the wounds on some of the poor fools that had fought whatever or whoever had come that way. He noted that some of the people had bite marks, seemingly from a large animal, and others had large gashes that stretched from one end on their body to another. Whatever or whoever had done this was wild, dangerous, and murderous.

Isaac and Shade picked their way through the mess while Paikea rode on Isaac's shoulders to keep from having to go through the same task. The young Shandian looked worriedly around the battlefield and tightened her grip a little on Isaac, "What happened here…? Are the Blue Seas really this dangerous?"

Isaac tried to comfort the child as he passed over another victim, "Not usually. But it seems that this happened recently, so we'd best be careful."

Shade could only agree silently as he caught the sound of two people talking once they hit the crossroads. Before he could tell where exactly the two voices were coming from, the three caught the sound of one of the victims coughing violently, trying hard to stay conscious.

Shade quickly got to the man's side and lifted him as gently as possible, "Oi, what the hell happened here?"

The man coughed again as he tried to tell them what had occurred on Whisky Peak before their arrival. "Two ships...pirates," he managed. "We didn't know they'd be so...strong. It only took one person...from each crew to take us...some of us tried to escape, but we got...cut down..."

"Two pirate crews? Who were they?" Shade asked.

"One of them...the Straw Hats...don't know the other...their captain was a guy with an axe..."

Word of the Straw Hats and this axe-guy caught Shade's attention immediately. Could Straw Hat really have gone through Whisky Peak and caused this absurd amount of commotion? And what of the other pirate crew and this "guy with an axe?" How did he fit into all of these strange occurrences that had hit Whisky Peak like a typhoon?

Isaac could see that his friend was getting excited for a fight thanks to what they had heard and could only groan, "Shade, please don't tell me you're going to go hunting for Straw Hat, or that axe guy, or-"

Isaac didn't get to finish his pleading as a scream filled the air before Paikea let out another, sharper shriek at the sound. Shade leapt away almost instinctively, as if the shriek had been what he was waiting for the entire time and left Paikea and Isaac alone with the barely conscious man.

Shade's body had the tendency to react quickly at the idea of a fight, or when he needed to get somewhere quickly. This reaction was something that he had developed thanks to the initiation that one of his masters had embedded in him, and which had been perfected by another. Shade was quite proud that he could react so quickly, but he had no chance to pat himself on the back as he neared the source of the sound. He leaped over the last building in his way, and was greeted with the sight of a man sending one of the townsfolk flying into a wall before licking the blood off of his hands.

The man was young, maybe around his age, and had messy brown hair, coupled with green eyes that shone eerily in the night. Thanks to the moon, Shade could see that he was in a pair of torn black pants and had on a heavy black cloak and golden necklace. Shade didn't know why but his gut told him that despite his appearance, the guy was more trouble than most of the killers out at sea.

His companion, a young woman with ebony hair that was streaked with bloody red bangs, made Shade's gut turn circles. She was clad in armor, as if she was a knight of some sort, and with the sword on her side, Shade would've believed it. There was something about her, though, that got Shade's nerve on edge and he knew instantly that she was the boss of the pair.

Shade didn't know what they were talking about but he was able to catch one certain part from the woman, "Now, my dear wolf, we hunt."

Shade decided that now was the best time to intrude and cleared his throat, "And whom would you be hunting?"

Both jumped and turned as Shade stood before them with his arms crossed. The brown-haired man snarled like an animal, "Who the hell are you!?"

Shade flashed a cocky grin and couldn't resist teasing the guy. "Throwing a tantrum isn't going to make me talk, you know."

The guy took a step forward, growling, clearly irritated. Shade's fun got cut short when the woman glared at her partner. "Don't Toby. You're injured and something tells me that this person is much stronger than our dear ex-captain."

Shade mentally noted to be careful around the lady. Unlike her partner, she seemed to be able to gauge strength easily. There was something different about the two. The air around them seemed heavier, malignant even. He had to know exactly who he was messing with or he might get caught off guard if the woman decided to use any hidden abilities she possessed.

He looked at her evenly, "Just who are you two?"

The woman smiled in a mockingly manner, "If you tell us who you are, we'll answer."

Shade snorted and couldn't help but be a bit miffed that now he was the one being mocked rather than the other way around, "It's Shade. Shidyk D. Shade."

It seemed that his name struck a chord within the mind of the woman because her eyes narrowed and he could hear under her breath, "Shidyk D. Shade…? As in the Misfire Assassin…?"

Shade outwardly grinned but mentally frowned at hearing the name that the World Government had stuck him with after his escapades. It wasn't that he disliked it or anything, but it sounded so strange that Shade couldn't help but feel as if someone had given it to him as a joke.

The woman glanced at her companion and had a firm tone in her voice as she warned her comrade, "Toby, stand down. This man could easily kill us both if he wanted to."

"Don't worry, I don't pick on weaklings. My name would be tarnished if I bullied someone weaker than me." He could see Toby was getting irritated and added, "Besides, the only time I ever kill is when it's a job _and_ it's worth it."

That was the last straw for Toby and he let out another snarl as he flexed his hands, "Kairi, let me fight him…he reminds me too much of Axe…"

Both Shade and Kairi could see that there was no stopping this fight, and it would not end until Toby felt satisfied. Kairi let out a sigh, likely regretting the chance meeting they were having with Shade as she waved her hand, "Very well, but remember we have to go soon."

Shade cracked his neck and stretched, not at all bothered that Toby was given him a look that would kill if it could. He had gotten that type of look from Isaac and several other people before, and was at the point where he merely shrugged it off. He decided to let one last insult fly to make sure that Toby would not listen to his partner as he yawned, "I'll even make it fair for you and not use my Devil Fruit."

As the clouds above rolled away and a beautiful full moon shone down upon them, Toby howled like a deranged beast as he prepared himself, "Don't you underestimate me!"

Shade had some experience with a few Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, one of them even being a close friend of his, but when he watched Toby transform, it was extremely unnatural. The man fell to his hands and knees, as his limbs twisted each and every way and the sound of crunching bones filled the night air. Dark, thick hair spread across the man's body and huge claws sprouted from his toes and fingertips. After what felt an eternity, but what Shade knew had to only have been about a minute at most, Toby rose up and let out a snarl that sounded close to a chuckle. Gone before Shade was the shaggy-haired young man, and in his place was a giant crimson eye wolf-like beast that towered over the assassin.

Shade whistled with mild surprise at the hairy behemoth before him, "A Zoan-type that shifts with the moon? That's a new one."

Toby let out another snarl as a wicked grin crossed his wolf-like face, "Now, how about we have some fun?"

Shade returned the wicked grin with a smirk as he took a fighting stance, "Why not?"

With those words, Toby charged at Shade with his claws outstretched, intending to rip the man's head from his body. Shade had no problem dodging at the last second as the claws flew at the spot his head had been before he delivered a powerful straight at the beast's gut. Toby skidded back several yards and when he stopped, rather than attack, he clutched his stomach as the pain from the strike spread through his body.

While the beast clutched his stomach, Shade decided to bait him once more, "Don't tell me that's it. If it is, then you're a sorry excuse for a Zoan-type."

Toby roared back into action, dashing at Shade yet again as his fury drove him to try and kill his opponent. However, no matter how many times Toby swiped at him with his claws, snapped at him with his fangs, or otherwise tried cause him harm, none of the blows ever landed. Shade could see through all of Toby's attacks as if they were written before him in bright, giant letters. There was really no need to go all out as Shade could tell that Toby was far more injured than he was letting on, and the previous blow had probably made it even worse.

Shade decided to end it and let Toby get close again, making it seem like he was hesitating for some reason. Toby took the chance and tried to strike Shade down, but ended up having his arms caught while Shade's boot unceremoniously smashed into his face. Toby tried to dislodge Shade, but realized too late that Shade was far stronger than he was and he could not break free no matter how hard he tried.

A cloud covered the moon and Toby quickly reverted back to his human form, his entire face now hidden behind Shade's boot as he let out some muffled wails of protest at the hold Shade had him in. While Shade was enjoying messing with the guy, he knew that the fight was over the moment he heard a pair of footsteps behind him. A quick glance and he confirmed that both Isaac and Paikea had finally caught up with him, which meant that Shade would have to release Toby.

After letting go of Toby's arms, Shade pushed with his leg forcefully and sent the poor man flying back to his partner. The strange shaggy man fell on his back and scrambled back up as murder entered his eyes and rage began to make him foam a bit in the mouth. The assassin gave the lycanthrope one single glare, but it was enough to silence the angered man when he saw that Shade would not mind grinding him into dog meat if he kept it up.

Isaac pulled out his whip from his side and stood beside his friend, "What's going on, Shade?"

Shade gave Isaac a side glance as he nodded towards the pair, "Found these two here and I think they're the ones that the guy was talking about."

Kairi seemed to know that now was the time to leave. With both Shade and Isaac there, neither Toby nor she could've gotten away. The armor clad woman raised her hand in defeat, "I am sorry for taking up your time, gentlemen, but we must leave now."

Shade's body tensed, ready to follow them, but Isaac stopped any more chances of combat. "Fair enough," he said. "Would you mind telling us why you attacked the people of this island?"

Kairi smiled and shrugged, "Killing time, mostly. We were trying to meet with a certain man here, our former captain, but I'm afraid he's gone now."

Isaac could see that she was mocking them, a bad idea considering that Shade had a rather nasty temper when roused. Isaac himself didn't like arrogant people but he knew that his woman wouldn't give them anything without dying first. The blonde man sighed as he put his whip away, "Alright, we'll call it a truce. We'll leave you alone if you leave us alone."

Toby looked ready to disagree but Kairi beat him to the punch, "Very well. We do have one condition to the truce."

Isaac crossed his arms and took a moment to think about the consequences of accepting any conditions from this pair. Almost all of the options that came up didn't show too much negative responses, so he gave a nod, "What's the condition?"

Kairi messed with the end of her hair a bit before she gave them a serious look, "Have you two heard of a pirate crew called the _**Axe-Head Pirates**_?"

Isaac and Shade gave each other a look to see if they had, and seeing the confusion in each other's eyes, Isaac could only shake his head, "The Axe-Head Pirates? We've never heard of them."

With those words, the two got Paikea and made their way back to their ship, seeing as they would not get anything else from this two odd and malignant people.

_Out at sea; the next day…_

Shade struck the air with quick punches as the ship glided across the water and kept an eye on Paikea who was looking out at sea as they left Whisky Peak behind. The strange meeting had made him realize that there was far more than what met the eye and he knew that he was missing far too many pieces to start making sense of it. Rayo mentioning Straw Hat back in Lougetown had been the start and after hearing Crocus and the poor victim back in Whisky Peak, it was no surprise that Shade's curiosity was enticed. Then there was this "Axe" that was connected with the two strangers back in Whisky Peak. Who was that guy and what exactly was his connection to all of this?

Shade wasn't one for mysteries but adventure…adventure was a horse of a different color. These two pirates, Straw Hat and Axe, there was something about these two that bugged Shade so much he knew that unless he met the pair, he would not stop. Of course, Isaac would never allow him to go and chase after two rookies and it wasn't like he was going to be able to shake of his "nanny" for any reason. He had to come up with a good enough plan that it would take Isaac by surprise, not an easy feat considering how diligent his friend was in making sure Shade was out of trouble.

"Mr. Shade? Where are we going next?" Paikea asked, snapping Shade out of his musings.

Shade stopped his workout for a moment to pet Paikea's head and smiled, "We're headed for a place called _**Dolmarear, the Island of Illusions**_. Once we're done there, we'll be heading for an island called Alabasta, and after that, we'll be searching for a way to get you back up to your island."

Paikea smiled, though Shade could tell that she was still worried. She probably missed her friends and family. If any of them were as tough Paikea was, he knew they wouldn't give up in looking for her and probably were all trying hard in locating the lost child. Shade tossed a glance back to see how Isaac was doing, and could see that Isaac was busy trying to ascertain the location of Dolmarear through the _**Log Pose**_.

Even if Isaac didn't say it, Shade could tell that his old friend was having thoughts about his former lover after having met Paikea. Shade hadn't known Sage personally. Everything he knew about the Shandian marksman was word of mouth from others. The only thing he did know was that Sage's death had left Isaac broken for a time, mentally, physically, and spiritually. When Shade had met Isaac, he was a broken husk of a man. It had taken not only Shade's help and support, but the help and support of others to bring Isaac to this point. He hoped that the journey with Paikea wouldn't result in Isaac regressing back to a broken state again.

Shade decided to let it go and see how things played out until he could form a plan to go and find out more about Straw Hat and the guy called Axe.

As soon as he made his decision, Shade caught a distant sound and tried to figure out where it came from. Isaac had also caught the sound and grabbed a telescope he kept near the helm and began to scout the sea for the source. After a moment, Isaac saw a ship off in the distance and frowned when he saw the skull and crossbones.

He was about to tell Shade and Paikea that it was nothing more than a pirate ship when he noticed a smaller ship come from behind the pirate ship. His eyes went wide when he realized that he recognized the ship. It was a schooner much like the _**Black Dragon,**_ but instead of a dragon for a figurehead, Isaac noted that the figurehead looked like a swan. He knew exactly who owned that ship and shouted at Shade, "Shade, there's a pirate ship over there-!"

Shade looked confused and slightly unsurprised, "So? There's plenty of them here in the Grand Line."

Isaac rolled his eyes as he pointed in the direction of the pirate ship, "I know that, but there's another ship over there with them!"

Shade still looked unconvinced until Isaac added, "And it's Jin-chan's ship!"

That got Shade's attention and he went to the helm to help Isaac steer the ship towards the pirate ship. Paikea was confused at what the two were talking about, but she decided to let them do what needed to be done. She wondered who in the world the two men were talking about. This was all so new to her. She had done something that no one in her tribe had ever done before and was traveling across the Blue Sea far below her home. True, it was scary, but it was completely exciting as things seemed far more different here than back in her home. She would have to remember everything she could in order to tell everyone back home of her adventures.

_A few miles away; aboard a pirate ship…_

The captain of the pirate ship was a man called Minos the Stampede. He hailed from the West Blue. He was quite the ugly man, many commenting that he looked more like a bull than he did a human, but that just made things easier for his career as a pirate. His looks served as a distraction. While people were wondering whether or not he was really human, he would charge at them with a tackle that easily sent even the biggest of men through solid walls. He had gathered a few grunts and was now finally in the Grand Line, ready to make his dreams of becoming the discoverer of the One Piece come true.

That had been Minos's plan, anyway. How could he or his men have known that they would meet this girl in a dancer's outfit playing her flute as she sailed? How could he have known that the girl was going to resist him or his men when they all wanted a good time with her? How could he have known that the girl was an assassin and they had ticked her off so badly that she took it out on all of them?

Well, he had not known, and now his entire crew lay about the deck, sliced up badly thanks to the girl's rapier. She was unbelievably fast and the way she wielded the thin sword was beautiful to watch, despite the obvious damage it had caused. Minos the Stampede was the only one left standing and the girl was simply wiping her sword off with a rag she had cut from one of his men's shirt just a few feet away. He didn't know whether he should be mad or if he should be scared, but either way, he knew he was in trouble and there was no way to properly get away.

The girl was young, maybe eighteen at most, and she was rather beautiful for her age. Her skin was clear, a sharp contrast to her raven hair that was done in a single large braid that reached down to her waist. Her clothes were traditional for dancers and from how lightly she was clothed, it was obvious she was used to hot, maybe even arid weather. Her brown eyes were the most beautiful part of her, though, as they seemed capable of expressing almost every emotion when the sunlight hit them. Right now, however, the girl's eyes were sharp and cold as her sword and Minos was betting that he was about to experience the sword's sharpness and cold nature.

The pirate captain decided to try and beg for mercy as he backed up, "N-now let's relax…you made your point. I'm sorry we acted like we did."

The girl sheathed her sword, making the pirate believe that he was going to be saved for a moment. She sighed and crossed her arms, a frown on her face, "I really didn't like it when you tried to get your way with me, you know. I really don't like pushy men."

The pirate captain thought about his options while the girl looked towards the port side of the ship. He could try to run her over like he had done so many fools before her now that her weapon was out of hand. It wouldn't take more than a few seconds to close the distance and then crush. On the other hand, he had seen the girl move quickly and efficiently as she took care of his men and knew that closing the distance would mean little if she got her sword back out.

Minos made up his mind and decided to take the chance. The girl may have been an excellent swordswoman but with her sword sheathed, he could probably smash her into tiny pieces and have his way with her if she somehow managed to survive. Minos gave a snort like a bull and charged ahead. The pirate never got a chance to get more than one step towards her when he watched her take one breath in before she let loose.

"_**Sonu Sonu no Forza**_!"

Minos realized his biggest mistake wasn't the charge, but believing that the only weapon this girl had was her sword. His ears popped as the sonic blast rushed him and he was thrown backwards like a rag doll from the force. His last thoughts were how his dreams were ruined as he slipped into unconsciousness when a part of the mast suddenly fell on his head and knocked him out cold.

The girl coughed a bit and cursed mentally at her luck in having run into some pirates. She had been enjoying a calm trip through the Grand Line on her way back to her home when they had come and had tried to have their way with her. Thankfully, she was capable of dealing with people of Minos the Stampede's caliber but it was a waste of energy. She searched through the galley of the ship and was able to find some water and a clean glass to sate her throat from having used her Devil Fruit's power.

She looked out at sea again and sighed as she headed towards her ship, the _**Lonely Swan**_, and wondered what her friends were doing.

_**END OF CHAPTER 2**_

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_**Translations and Explanations Section:  
**_Okay this is where I tell you a little bit more about the terms I used for my fan-fiction. They may or may not be perfect, so please comment if I had done some sort of error. This is also where you'll find out more about the next chapter.

_**Log Pose**_ – Due to the strange magnetic fields present in the Grand Line, normal compasses cease to function properly. Thus, a solution was found in the form of the Log Pose. A Log Pose becomes acclimated to whatever magnetic field it is in over time, and once it has set, it will point the way to the next island on the Grand Line. However, this process is variable: every island has a different amount of time that it takes for the Log Pose to reset, and it may be up to a year or more before a Log Pose has adapted to point to the next island. As an example of these differing times, the island of Jaya takes four days for the Log Pose to adjust, the island of Water Seven takes seven days, and Little Garden takes a full year.

_**Vearth**_ – The term Vearth is basically what Skypieans call regular dirt and/or soil. Because it is so rare in Skypeia, the people treat it with great value.

_**Axe-Head Pirates**_ – A group of adventurers led by a young man called Axe. They consist of Devon the Demon (a swordsman), Austin (Devon's younger brother), Niri (an ex-Marine and a sharpshooter), Herman (a Fish-man who used to belong to Arlong), Chizuru (an enigmatic navigator), Kirsty "White Dragon" Chambers (a young doctor), Dustine "Dusty" Wenata (a.k.a. "Fox Dust," a Zoan user who used to belong to the Foxy Pirates), and DJ Macleod (a swordsman and poet who is as big a flirt as Sanji of the Mugiwara crew).

_**Dolmarear, the Island of Illusions**_ – An island of mysterious origins and even greater mysteries. Very few enter the island as it is said that within it, one would encounter their worst nightmares.

_**Rapier**_ – A rapier is a relatively slender, sharply pointed sword, used mainly for thrusting attacks, in use in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.

_**Sonu Sonu no Forza**_– Literally, Sound Sound Forza. Jinko blasts the opponent with a concentrated blast of sound.

_**Isaac: On the next Chapter of Legacy of the Assassin!**_

_**Shade: So this place is called Dolmarear the Island of Illusions?**_

_**Jinko: Shade-kun! Isaac-kun! It's been so long since we've seen each other!**_

_**Marco: At last we meet marvelously Misfire Assassin! **_

_**Jinko: You guys are heading for Alabasta? So am I!**_

_**Paikea and Shade: Next time on Legacy of the Assassin! The Island of Illusions – Appear Jinko of the Dancing Blade!**_

_**And here is the second chapter of L.o.t.A.! As to who Kairi and Toby Dicey are, they are both OC's who belongs to a person under the name of Wolfen-Ways, and they are also being used for kilnorc's story, Desert Storm. **_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to One Piece. I own only some of the OC's in this fan-fiction, and any place I make up.

_Italic_ – Someone thinking

_Italic and Underline_ – A flashback or Location shift

_**Bold and Italic**_ – Terms that will be explained

_**Bold, Italic, and Underline**_ –Journal entry, Bounties, Author notes, or Chapter

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_**Chapter 3: Island of Illusions – Appear Jinko of the Dancing Blade!**_

_**Excerpt from Isaac's Journal, Date being August 3rd:  
Shade has been acting stranger than usual, if one can believe it. Something about what Verrani had told him obviously touched some sort of nerve and now he's trying to hatch a plan. He wouldn't believe anyone who told him, but he's an open book.. He obviously wants to find this Straw Hat and quite possibly this Axe guy that the strange pair spoke of back in Whisky Peak. I still think that Verrani is a bad influence on someone like Shade, but he won't listen to reason and believes that Verrani is his friend. For now, we have to be careful of Dolmarear, the Island of Illusions. If the rumors are true, then this island has some sort of secret we should be wary of…**_

Shade whistled as he got up on the deck of the pirate ship with Isaac and Paikea, "Looks like a tornado hit these guys."

Isaac considered the description accurate from all the bodies that were thrown about and from the damage that most of the deck had taken during whatever fight the crew had been in. Almost all of the men were wounded, not dead, but injured enough to render them unconscious. Closer inspection led Isaac to guess the wounds were caused by a sword. The largest of the men, and possibly the captain, was smashed into the remains of a mast and was murmuring something about grass fields and cud.

Isaac looked over the starboard of the ship and saw that the boat he had caught sight of with the pirate ship was still there, untouched, "Well, we haven't missed her yet."

Paikea glanced around nervously, "Um…do the Blue Seas have Demons or evil spirits…?"

Shade grinned as he got close to the girl and tried to sound as eerie as he could, "Yes, and monsters of every shape and size! Beasts that love to devour the tender bodies of little girls!"

Paikea nearly shrieked in fear. Isaac slapped the back of Shade's head, "Knock it off!"

Shade massaged the back of his head and looked slightly hurt, "Geez, I was just kidding, Isaac. 'Sides, if any real monsters and stuff came out, I just beat it back down."

Isaac rolled his eyes while Paikea sighed in relief in knowing that there were no creatures that would try to gobble her up at the moment. However, she nearly squealed in fright when the three heard footsteps from one of the doors that lead deeper into the ship. It was a strange mix of jingling noise and what sounded like humming. The door opened slowly before a young girl in a dancer's outfit greeted the three, carrying two large bags.

There was silence between the four before the girl gave a delighted squeal and jumped Isaac and Shade, "Shade! Isaac! I thought the voices I heard were familiar!"

Shade laughed as he returned the hug, "Jinko! You haven't changed in years!"

Isaac chuckled and also returned the hug, "It's good to see you again, Jin-chan."

Paikea sighed in relief again as she realized that this newcomer was a friend. She had never seen anyone quite dressed the same way as this girl, but then again, Shade and Isaac dressed almost as strangely. The young Shandian was snapped out of her thoughts when Jinko kneeled before her, staring right in her face. She backed a step and found her courage to speak up, "W-what's wrong…?"

Jinko released another squeal of delight and crushed Paikea in a hug, "Oh my god, you're so cute!"

Paikea tried to call out for help but it seemed that her predicament was amusing to both Isaac and Shade. They both knew of Jinko's love for anything adorable, and also how nothing could get out of that hug once she wrapped her arms around the poor adorable thing that had garnered her attention.

Shade was glad to see that Jinko's disposition hadn't changed since two years ago, and was secretly impressed at her strength. Taking on a pirate crew of any strength by yourself wasn't usually easy, and the way Jinko had fought, it was obvious that she had been holding back enough not to cause major damage. He felt gratitude as well. Jinko, along with Isaac and Rayo, had come to save him when he was nearly executed two years ago.

"Say, Jinko, what are you doing around here?" Shade asked, "I thought you would be back at the Guild."

Jinko let go of Paikea- who immediately hid behind Isaac- and smiled, "I'm just going to visit my old home in Alabasta."

"We're headed that way as well," Isaac said, exchanging a surprised look with Shade.

Jinko's eyes widened and she clapped her hands excitedly, "Really? Then let me travel with you!"

Shade laughed and looked at his partner, "Nothing wrong with that, right, Isaac?"

Isaac chuckled and shook his head, "Not at all."

The three got to work and cleared the pirates of their ill-gotten loot before the _**Black Dragon**_ and Jinko's ship, the _**Lonely Swan**_, had a rope tied between them to keep them on the same path. As Isaac checked the Log Pose, he recalled everything he knew of Jinko as she and Paikea got to know each other and Shade went to train again.

Jinko had arrived a little before Sage had been murdered and had been around at the same time Shade had joined the Guild. As it turned out, she was the granddaughter of one of the Masters of the Guild, Joe Ichiume, but was not as gifted as her grandfather. Despite this, she had become good friends with many of the current top members and showed plenty of promise. She had helped save Shade from execution two years ago, despite being scared out of her wits. She had also been there after Sage's death, visiting Isaac constantly. She brought food and made sure he ate it. It hadn't been easy, as Isaac wouldn't even look at food after losing Sage. He owed her as much as Shade did.

"Isaac?"

The blonde assassin looked over to see Jinko standing next to him.

"Would you mind if I played a song while we sailed?" she asked.

Isaac smiled and shook his head while Jinko readied her flute and walked back to where Paikea was and began to play. The music from the flute began to change, and after a moment, the music that filled the air now seemed to come from several instruments instead of a single flute. Paikea stood in awe as Jinko played her flute and couldn't help but wonder out loud, "How can she do that?"

Shade chuckled as he strolled towards the two girls and crossed his arms, "Jinko ate the _**Sound Sound Fruit**_ some time ago. She can control sound waves and make you hear what she wants you to hear."

Paikea could only stand there in awe at the strange Blue Sea woman before she began to dance around Jinko. Shade chuckled and got into the act, dancing with the young Shandian girl as the song rose in tempo. Isaac smiled in amusement at the three before looking back at the Log Pose to verify their position one more time. The blonde looked out to sea and could spy an island on the horizon, and knew immediately that they were reaching their destination.

He called out to the others, "Dolmarear, straight ahead!"

The others stopped what they were doing and looked towards the direction Isaac had specified, spying the island. Shade was rather excited about this upcoming island due to all of the strange rumors that came and went about Dolmarear. Supposedly, the island was shrouded in illusions and could confuse anyone foolish enough to enter the place without any sort of precaution. Pirates, Marines, and anyone else who entered the island was never heard of again as the island's power forced them to stay for good. Some even said that there was a monster within the island that was the creator of the infamous illusions, and that meeting the beast spelled out one's doom.

None of this bothered Shade, however. He knew that whatever came at them, he could handle it as long as he had Isaac and Jinko backing him up. He petted Paikea on the head while he thought out loud, "This should be an interesting place to explore."

Paikea looked up at the storm-haired man and could see the excitement building within him. She hoped that things would be as easy as Shade made it sound. She wanted to return to her home in one piece.

_A few hours later; Dolmarear…_

The four were expecting dense jungle and wild beasts within the shrub, waiting for a chance to catch them off guard and devour them. Or perhaps a ruined town or a graveyard of ships, where the remains of people who had landed on the island but never left would be. They had even imagined a small town that tried to use the island's infamous illusions as a tourist attraction to keep people coming.

Instead, they were treated to a large mansion with its own private harbor nestled in a quiet cove that was safely tucked away from the jungle behind it. When they were almost ready to dock, several women and men, in maid and butler outfits respectively, came out and began to form lines on either side of the dock before two men helped the four dock the two schooners. With the ships docked, the maids and butlers both bowed at the group in welcome, "Welcome to Dolmarear, Masters and Ladies!"

Shade glanced at his friends and could tell they were just as confused by the unusual welcoming committee. This was not what they had expected to see on the rumored island of illusions. Yet there was something off, something that was bothering Shade deep down about these strange people and how they happened to come out at just at the right time to greet them.

Before Shade could say anything, however, he was interrupted by a loud voice that came from the mansion, "Marvelous! It has been ages since we had guests of any sort!"

The moment the four heard that voice, they each made the same face of disgust as the owner came towards them, striding as if the world belonged to him. He was tall, probably about nine feet in height, yet thin, looking more like a scarecrow than a man. His wavy black hair fell down his head right down to his waist, flaunting it around as he walked towards the group. He wore a pair of white slacks and a white shirt that was opened to expose his chest, while his black pointed boots clicked every time they hit the ground. His blue eyes, while brimming with life, made Shade wary as they made the stranger look as if he was sneering at them when he smiled as he was doing now.

The man laughed happily as he threw his arms outward, "Marvelous! I'd like to welcome you all to my lovely home here in Dolmarear! I am the one and only _**Marco the Marvelous**_!"

Shade was ready to kill the man on the spot for using the word "marvelous" as he did, but was stopped when Isaac tried to be polite to Marco. "It's a pleasure, Marco-san. We weren't expecting such a warm welcome from an island known to be…treacherous."

Marco laughed loudly again and grinned, "Ah, yes, yes! Those marvelous rumors about this place being an island of illusions! How marvelously adorable it is that you four believed it to be so!"

"Please tell me I can kill him," Shade whispered in Isaac's ear as Marco started laughing again. He pouted when Isaac shushed him.

"Let me introduce everyone then," Isaac said, "This is Jinko, Paikea, Shade, and I am Isaac."

Marco greeted them all in turn, taking note of Shade, Jinko, and Isaac with what seemed to be curiosity and amusement. The raven-haired man then turned and motioned for the group to follow, "Please come and enjoy a marvelous tour with me of my marvelous mansion! Later, we can all have a delicious dinner in your honor for coming all the way here!"

Shade lightened up a bit at the mention of dinner but his gut continued to warn him that there was still something wrong with the entire matter. He decided to investigate later that day, perhaps at night when everyone would be asleep, to see just why he was on edge.

Unbeknownst to the four, they were being spied on as they followed Marco the Marvelous to his mansion. A shadow watched them from one of the upstairs rooms until they disappeared inside. The figure flipped through a stack of papers before he pulled out three pieces and noted that the pictures on the papers were identical to Isaac, Jinko, and Shade.

_**Wanted Dead or Alive:**_

_**Shidyk D. Shade a.k.a. "Shade of the Devouring Fist" or the "Misfire Assassin"**_

_**Bounty: 324 Million Belli**_

_**Wanted Dead or Alive:**_

_**Isaac Shrodinger a.k.a. "Flash Step Isaac"**_

_**Bounty: 152 Million Belli**_

_**Wanted Dead or Alive:**_

_**Jinko Ichiume a.k.a. "Jinko of the Dancing Blade"**_

_**Bounty: 69 Million Belli**_

The figure picked up a receiver at his side and made sure to keep its voice low, "To the chief of staff, we have three VIP guests. Make sure to have everything prepared for their arrival and have the Seastone cages prepared for all three."

From the other end of the receiver, the figure could hear the confirmation before the line went dead. The figure set the receiver down and headed towards the room's door, grabbing a large object as it exited the room.

_Later; dining hall…_

Isaac hated to admit it, but Marco did provide what he promised. The long table was topped with dishes of every kind and size, all of them beautiful in appearance and appetizing in smell. The blonde assassin was also quite glad to not do the cooking. He got tired of cooking for him and Shade so often. It did not help that both of them had similar appetites and their stock was always on the verge of disappearing the moment they resupplied somewhere.

Speaking of which, both he and Shade were devouring nearly everything on the table as the maids brought in more meals to satisfy the hungry guests. Jinko and Paikea ate normally along with Marco, who probably would've mentioned how "marvelously" hungry Shade and Isaac were if he wasn't trying to keep his meal safe from the two. Isaac supposed that Marco had never met people quite like Shade or himself, but didn't bother to think further on the subject as another lobster was laid before him.

Marco ate some spaghetti as he told them about the island. "You see, my marvelous guests," he said, "Dolmarear is only called the island of illusions by the uncultured pirates and the Marines that merely accepted that baseless rumors as the truth. This island has no more illusions than a pirate has sense, and it is quite safe for those prepared for wild animals and the like."

Jinko barely listened, like the others, and merely ate her meal quietly as she let Marco go on about how stupid pirates were. She knew that the others had noted a very odd air about this man and she kept her guard up in case things decided to go south. She also kept her guard up for Paikea's sake as she did not want anything to happen to the Shandian girl while they were around Marco. She looked across the table and watched as Paikea ate as contently as Shade and Isaac were currently doing on the other end of the table.

Jinko yawned, making sure it was loud enough to cut off Marco and for Shade and Isaac to catch, "That was lovely, Marco-san, but I think it's best if we all turned in."

Marco looked at her curiously but smiled and nodded, "Of course, of course! My marvelous maids will lead you all to your rooms for the night, so please enjoy the comfort of my marvelous home!"

The group stood up and were led by a pair of maids through a hall and up a flight of stairs before walking another hall. One of the maids stopped before she turned to the group and motioned to a door, "The Ladies will stay here for the night."

After a few more steps, the second maid stopped and pointed at two doors on the other side of the hall, "The Masters will stay here for the night."

Both maids bowed and left quickly, leaving the four in the hall before their respective rooms. Shade yawned and waved at Jinko and Paikea, "Alright, you guys have a good night's sleep."

"Sweet dreams, Paikea," Isaac said, petting the top of her head, "We'll be in the other room if you need us, okay?"

Paikea nodded before she watched both men go into their room. She followed Jinko into the room they were sharing, which was decorated very nicely and had two large beds and a beautiful view of the cove that led out to sea. Paikea didn't waste any time waiting to explore the room while Jinko merely sat down on one of the beds and began to play her flute again.

Paikea looked at the raven-haired girl as she checked a closet, "Jinko-chan, why do you like to play your flute so much?"

Jinko smiled and stopped playing. "Well, Paikea-chan," she explained, "my mother was a great dancer where I was born and my father would play music for her performances. Father made me this flute in the hopes that I would follow in his footsteps while mother taught me everything she knew in the hopes I would follow her instead." She looked wistfully at her flute and at the emerald pendant that hung around her neck. "They were both really happy when I told them I would do both dancing and music. They would praise me when I did well and we would all laugh together…"

Paikea noted the sad tone in Jinko's voice, and worried that she had said something unnecessary to make her newest friend sad. Jinko could see the worry and smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine, Paikea. I just really miss my parents."

Paikea realized that Jinko's parents were very likely dead. "I'm sorry!" she said, bowing, "I didn't mean to make you sad!"

Jinko smiled and walked over to the young Shandian and hugged her, "It's fine, Paikea. You didn't know and I'm not as sad as you think I am. After all, I have friends like Shade-kun and Isaac-kun around, plus others I've met from all over the Blues."

Paikea didn't feel reassured.

_Same time; Shade and Isaac's room…_

Shade looked at the ceiling as he lay on one of the beds, "Did you have the same vibe from that Marco guy as I did, Isaac?"

Isaac was adjusting his glasses when he looked from the mirror that was hidden behind the closet door, "If you mean how he seemed dangerous? Then yes, I did feel that vibe."

Isaac's perception was one of the things Shade was always glad to have, as no matter what the situation, he knew that the blond assassin was always just as aware of things as he was, if not more aware. They had both noted that Marco was hiding more than he was letting on and they needed to figure out what it was. Shade got up and looked thoughtful. "It's not just that he seems dangerous, but there was something weird about his eyes…"

"Did you also notice that the maids and butlers had the same look?"

Shade cocked his head as he tried to recall the eyes of the maids that had brought them up to their rooms. He crossed his arms and let one of his fingers tap as he tried to figure out what it could all mean, "Alright, so we know that everyone has these goofy eyes…that doesn't mean much until we can figure out more…"

Shade hadn't suggested beating Macro into telling them anything. Isaac was mildly impressed by this. He wondered if he was rubbing off on his friend.

"This is making my head hurt too much..." Shade mumbled.

Well, so much for that.

Isaac sighed and began to pace the room as he tried to figure out exactly what all the strange mysteries were pointing at. That was when the bed Shade was in was pushed upwards and a portion of the wall suddenly opened, swallowing Shade as he was thrown into the dark void. Isaac tried to catch his friend with his whip but the bed fell back on to the ground and the wall closed itself before the tip of his whip was able to catch Shade.

Isaac cursed as he realized that this had all been a trap and headed for the door, only to jump back as a net fell from an opening in the ceiling. He could hear voices behind the door and some odd clicking sounds before the desk on one side of the room lifted and shot several dart at him. He was able to strike all of them with his whip. Isaac then remembered Jinko and Paikea, and knew he had to find a way out of the room to make sure that Paikea was safe. He trusted Jinko in keeping Paikea safe, but he didn't want anything to happen to the young Shandian girl before he could get her home.

Isaac heard screams outside of the door, and before he could tell what was going on, the door to his room opened to reveal Jinko with her sword drawn. Following Jinko was Paikea, who was holding on to what Isaac guessed was the leg of the desk that had been in the girls' room as a club.

"Glad to see you're okay," he said, sighing in relief.

"There was some strange sound waves and when we got out, we noticed those maids messing with some weird controls," Jinko replied, gesturing to said panel.

"Whatever their intentions, they were able to catch Shade."

"So this is going to be like two years ago?"

Isaac laughed, "At least we're not in Merrian's base."

The three caught the sound of footsteps and weren't surprised when several servants with guns and swords appeared from each end of the hall. Jinko let out a sigh as she readied her sword, "_Exactly_ like two years ago…"

_Same time; somewhere within the Mansion…_

Shade groaned and massaged his head as he regained his bearings from having fallen through a dark slide. After the pain subsided, he looked around to see where he was and could only conclude it was some sort of monitor room, judging by all the screens and the _**Surveillance Den Den Mushi **_that sat nearby. He also noted that he was inside some sort of cage, and judging from how weak he felt, he could only conclude that the cage was made of Seastone.

Shade gave a sigh as he knocked on the cage, "Great, this is like two years ago."

A familiar voice called from the couch that faced the screens, "Marvelous! Welcome, Misfire Assassin!"

Shade winced in disgust as Marco the Marvelous strode towards his cage, "Just my luck…what do you want, idiot?"

"Now, now. That's no way to be marvelous, Misfire Assassin," Marco sneered, "What I want is simple: the bounty on your head as well as the ones on the rest of your marvelous friends."

"You're a bounty hunter!?"

"Not just any marvelous bounty hunter! I am the best in the business!" Marco laughed. He gestured to the screens. "All of the servants here are the remnants of pirates and Marines I've convinced with the power of my marvelous _**Dazzle Dazzle Fruit**_!"

"So you hypnotized them with your Devil Fruit?" Shade asked, realizing why everyone's eyes had seemed so strange.

Marco grinned maliciously, "That's right, my marvelous friend! My Devil Fruit allows me to dazzle anyone any way I want! Hypnotism is but one of my Devil Fruit's marvelous powers!"

Shade glanced at the screens and was glad to see that his friends were getting through the mansion with little trouble. Then again, Isaac had always been around him to stop him from fighting and Jinko, while not at the same level as Isaac or Shade, could hold her ground when push came to shove. He was slightly amused to see even Paikea in the squabble, using a make-shift club to knock anyone senseless on the head.

Shade smiled as he leaned back on the cage, "Looks like your group isn't going to be able to do much after this."

Marco turned and looked distraught when Isaac and Jinko bolted through his forces like thunder and lightning. The raven-haired man rushed to the couch and picked up a Baby Den Den Mushi, barking out, "What is going out there!? Why haven't you captured the rest of these marvelous fools!?"

The voice crackled from the other end in a desperate wail, "Master, they're too strong! We can't hold out for long!"

Marco gritted his teeth and realized he had underestimated the other two because of their lower bounties when compared to Shade. Yet he wasn't going down without a fight. "Get Rott Weiler down to the surveillance room! I'll need his marvelous blade when those fools get here!"

Without waiting for confirmation, Marco grabbed a large scythe and sneered at Shade, "Don't think that Marco the Marvelous is done yet, Misfire Assassin! I still have a few tricks up my sleeve!"

Shade's grin faltered for a moment but he decided to let things roll as they would. After all, he was stuck inside a Seastone cage and couldn't do much until he was out of it. Besides, Isaac and Jinko were some of the best in their field and it would take more than the likes of Marco and his entire group to take his friends down.

_Same time, Mansion Dining Hall…_

Jinko was getting tired of dodging and fighting the seemingly infinite number of maids and butlers with lethal weapons. Her mood did not get better from all the traps that the place seemed to harbor at almost every corner. With the added problem of protecting Paikea from any harm, the young raven-haired girl was losing her patience towards the owner of the mansion, Marco. She could tell that Isaac was also getting annoyed from having to fight the numerous enemies that kept popping up.

As she and Isaac used the table of the dining hall to block the main door, she had to questioned the blonde, "Isaac, how are we supposed to find Shade when these people keep trying to kill us?"

Isaac leaned on the table a little, "I'm trying to figure that out, Jin-chan."

Suddenly, a trapdoor opened from the area where the table had covered and both were greeted by a gentleman, who seemed to be in his late forties to early fifties, in a butler outfit and a large claymore in hand. The gentleman was bald but it was obvious that he had seen plenty of battles with all of the scars that dotted his shining head. He had a graying moustache that reminded the three of a dog's face and the man's tie even had a bone in golden yellow on it.

The gentleman bowed to them and held the sword ready. "Permit me to introduce myself; I am _**Rott Weiler**_, head of all the staff and the right hand of the Master, Marco the Marvelous."

Isaac got ready to deal with Rott when Jinko stepped forward and drew her sword. She looked at the blonde man and murmured to Isaac, "I can handle this man. Take Paikea and look for Shade-kun while I hold him off."

Isaac looked between the two and gave Jinko a nod before he grabbed Paikea and disappeared in a blur before the elder man's eyes. Rott snorted as he began to spin his sword. "Do you really think he can find your friend before your defeat?"

Jinko let her feet click as she prepared herself for combat, "I would focus on the new act before you think about Isaac."

Rott snorted in a bemused manner and both sword wielders charged towards one another.

_With Isaac and Paikea; Door leading to the Surveillance Room…_

Isaac pulled the butler's scruff up to make sure the man could look at him and asked, "Are you sure this is the room that Marco is in when this kind of thing happens?"

The grunt could only cough and groan in pain, but gave a nod to answer Isaac in the hopes that the blonde let him go. They had gone through a few rooms before Isaac had finally decided to ask where Marco was hiding. It hadn't been hard to find someone to tell him. With the involuntary help of said grunt, Isaac and Paikea had finally made it to what the man had called the surveillance room. Isaac could only guess that Marco used this room to watch the events unfold all across the mansion and the blonde knew he had to be cautious. There was no telling what would happen the moment he entered the room.

Isaac looked at the door for a moment before he kicked the doors down, and tossed his "guide" forward in time to hear Marco's voice, "_**Dazzling Hypnosis**_!"

Isaac would later count himself lucky as it seemed Marco had been expecting him and was about to use some weird ability. Marco cursed, on his part, and tossed his loyal servant to the side like a rag doll as he tried to get Isaac to look at him in the face. However, Shade busted that plan as he called to his friend, "Isaac! Don't look at his eyes! He's got some weird Devil Fruit that lets him hypnotize you if you do!"

Marco cursed at Shade as Isaac focused on the man's boots to avoid looking at his face. The blonde knew that this wouldn't be much cover as he would have to eventually find a way to counter the raven-haired man in order to free his friend. Isaac was forced to go into the defensive as Marco began to use his scythe.

"You may know about my marvelous power!" he hissed, "But that doesn't mean you can avoid looking at me if you want to attack!"

Isaac hoped that Paikea would stay out of the way as he pulled out his whip and got ready to fight Marco.

_Same time; with Jinko…_

Both swords flashed and clanged once more as Jinko fought Rott Weiler in the dining hall and caused the debris to scatter about. Rott was having a hard time believing that someone like Jinko could deflect his claymore like a normal blade, and with a rapier of all things. He had taken down more "guests" than anyone else and had never lost once. No one else was more fitted for Marco's right-hand man than Rott was, and he needed to prove it.

He cursed at Jinko as the young girl jumped his sword's reach. "Are you not tired of merely avoiding me? Come and fight, child!"

While to Rott it looked as she was on the defensive, Jinko was actually waiting for an opening to knock the man in one go. She had learned in her time at the Guild that a battle could be decided with one single blow, and that even the strongest could lose if you hit them in just the right spot. Striking this man was proving difficult because of the large claymore, however, as the man wielded it as if it were nothing more than a feather. She had to admit that Rott, for all his talk, was a capable swordsman and was not someone you would mettle with if given a choice.

While Jinko's line of thought continued, Rott decided to end and jumped to the other end of the room while neatly getting his sword into a drawing position. Jinko cursed under her breath as Rott let his sword swing forth at tremendous speed, "_**True Blade; Flying Fang**_!"

Jinko quickly jumped to the side as a blade of air cut through both the floor and the wall behind her, ripping apart the dining hall in an instant. She had to admit the damage was incredible and had she stood there, she might've been seriously injured by it. She snapped back to attention as Rott grunted again, preparing to launch another air blade at her.

Jinko wasn't going to give him the chance, and she raced forward at tremendous speed, closing the distance just as Rott swung his claymore forward again. Jinko sheathed her sword as she closed in and spun as the sword struck forward and the air blade formed once again. Rott didn't have time to counter as Jinko drew her sword faster than the eye could follow, before the butler could feel pain behind him as her blow landed.

"_**Yuufu no Ryuujin**_!"

Rott fell to the floor; unconscious from the shock Jinko's blow had dealt and let his claymore go before he hit the ground. Jinko panted a bit and used the wall to prop herself as she regained her composure from dealing such a taxing blow. While it was powerful, the timing and concentration that was required for her Iai tended to tire the raven-haired girl more than she let on. After a moment's rest, Jinko quickly went to find Isaac, Shade, and Paikea praying that she wasn't too late to help.

_Same time; Surveillance Room…_

Isaac dodged another strike from Marco's scythe, cursing the fact that while he could avoid whatever Marco threw at him, he couldn't look at Marco without worry of getting hit by Marco's Devil Fruit power. If Shade was right, then Isaac needed Marco to look away from him for just one second so he could finish the damn scarecrow off.

Marco continued to jeer as he swung his scythe back and forth at the blonde man, "Come now, my marvelous friend! You can't look away forever. You'll have to soon gaze upon my marvelous self, and it will be all over!"

Isaac cursed as he knew the raven haired man was right and he continued to dodge the scythe that was following him. If he could just find some way to distract Marco, then he could focus on taking him out in a flash and then they could leave the island. Just as Isaac was forming a plan, his back hit the wall and he ducked in order to dodge the blade of the scythe. This was his mistake as he looked up and Marco's face was waiting for him.

"_Dazzling Hypnosis_!"

Isaac quickly reacted and grabbed Marco's leg with his hand, grabbing on to the skin before Marco's Devil Fruit could take effect. The raven haired man suddenly paled and looked as if he might be ill.

"W-what's going on? I don't feel so marvelous…" he murmured.

A loud click sounded behind the fighters and both caught sight of Paikea getting Shade out of the Seastone cage. The storm-haired man grinning as he cracked his knuckles. "Guess you didn't know," he said, "Isaac ate the _**Sea Sea Fruit**_. Being touched by him is just like coming into contact with Seastone."

Marco's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he realized that his power was nullified and that he didn't have much time before the rest of his forces were free from his control. However, Marco didn't get a chance at protest as Shade pulled his arm back and roared at him, "Good night, bastard! _**Orion's Knuckle**_!"

It was a simple straight, a punch that wouldn't have been special if it were by any other human than Shade. Isaac quickly let go of Marco, and watched as Marco's entire jaw cracked as it was dislocated and he went flying through the wall like a rocket. From the several holes that appeared after the debris settled and the sound of explosions that occurred in the meantime, Isaac could tell that Shade had sent the strange man flying at least fifty meters through the mansion and into the island proper.

"Nice punch."

Shade grinned, "Thank, Paikea. While you distracted him, she was able to look for the keys to that cage."

"We showed that weird man who's in charge, huh?" Paikea said, holding herself proudly.

Both men laughed and almost jumped when Jinko quickly charged into the room and looked around. "What happened? I heard an explosion and-"

Shade laughed again, "Relax, Jin-chan, it's over."

Jinko looked relieved and sat down on the couch's arm. "I'm glad…I really need to relax after all of this."

Shade looked thoughtful, glancing from Jinko to Paikea and back again. He nudged Isaac. "I got an idea, Isaac."

Isaac dreaded to hear those words, as when Shade said this, it involved something crazy or stupid or a mix of the two. He gave a sigh and reluctantly asked, "What is it?"

_A few days later; out at sea…_

Shade could see that Isaac was worried and could not help but feel slightly guilty. Rather than letting Paikea get into another mess with them, Shade had suggested that Jinko take care of the young Shandian while the two continued to head towards Alabasta. They would meet up with the girls once Jinko had relaxed. Isaac had objected at first, but Shade had pointed out that she would be just as safe as with Jinko as she would be with them. He had also pointed out that Jinko had an Eternal Pose to her home, and neither of them could make any promises of where they would land next. The final straw, of course, had been when Jinko offered to take Paikea to _**Kyuka Island**_ for a little vacation until they were ready to meet up again.

He sighed as he stopped lifting the gigantic weights he used for his workout and glanced at his friend. "Still worried about Paikea, Isaac?"

Isaac sighed and nodded, "I don't know, Shade. Do you really think this was a good idea?"

Shade shrugged as he got ready to do some hand-stand push-ups, "Well, there's no point in griping about it now. Besides, Jin-chan knows the islands around her home better than we do, so she'll avoid any needless danger."

Isaac smirked a bit at the truth, and was surprised to see Shade making sense for once. Then again, Shade didn't like to let his friends get into trouble and tended to make sure no one got hurt if he could help it. Granted, the way he went about things tended to be rather insane, but Isaac knew that Shade had his friends close at heart when it came to danger.

Isaac looked at the Log Pose and noted that it finally was starting to settle, just as the sky became gray and it began to snow.

_In another part of the sea…_

Vice-Admiral Merrian, while an infamous terror to all criminals, would've been ridiculed the moment anyone entered his office to find him playing with his son, Don. Don was about two years old, and had the same blonde hair and emerald eyes as his father. However, Don was very large for his age, already almost the size of a four year old. Uzura had noted that he must have gotten it from his father; Merrian stood nearly eight feet tall. The Vice-Admiral was in no rush to see his son get that big. For now he was content to simply mock wrestle with the toddler in his office.

The ship was heading back to Marine HQ to deliver a pirate crew that Merrian and his Special Forces had captured along the way back. It wasn't a tough job, and Merrian was fair enough to the criminals, but all of the pirates wanted out as they knew that the moment the ship landed, they would be executed. Merrian really didn't care as this was the end result of their own actions and was the response of his own Justice, _**Finishing Justice**_.

As Merrian lifted his son up, there was a knock on the door which made him hold onto Don before calling, "Enter."

Bones and Dalu entered the room quickly, both of them looking excited over something. Merrian was slightly curious as Bones and Dalu tended to have different interests, and both being excited over a matter was enough to tell him that there was some sort of big news. Both saluted and stood before Merrian as their commander sat down and let Don put his hat on.

Merrian chuckled before he got to business, "Alright, Bones, Dalu, what have you got for me?"

"We found him!" Bones exclaimed.

Merrian lowered the hat on Don, making the child laugh happily. "Found who?" he asked.

Dalu rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Shidyk D. Shade, that's who!"

This got Merrian's attention and he quickly focused on his subordinates. "Where?"

Bones and Dalu each explained in turn that Shidyk D. Shade, Isaac D. Shrodinger, and Jinko Ichiume were spotted in Dolmarear by a missing Commodore called Rott Weiler. Apparently, the old Marine had come under hypnosis by a bounty hunter called Marco the Marvelous, and had been serving him for months as a butler. The three assassins had taken out Marco and Weiler gathered all the Marines present on the island to capture the pirates that had also been trapped there. Now, they were calling for a pick-up.

Don raised his father's hat and laughed as he added, "Pirate!"

Merrian couldn't help but chuckle at his son's declaration and hugged him, "Yes, son, pirates."

Dalu and Bones didn't say anything, mainly because they were somewhat used to having Merrian's "daddy moments" when he was around his kids. They also knew how dangerous Merrian was when angered. Don clapped his hands while Merrian issued his orders, "Get us to Dolmarear for pick up. We'll take the rest of the pirates under custody and have Commodore Weiler back to HQ before we give chase."

Dalu and Bones nodded and saluted before leaving the room quickly. Merrian removed his hat from Don and petted the boy. "Looks like we're going to be chasing that Shade fellow again, Don."

Don smiled and clapped his hands together. "Pirate!"

_**END OF CHAPTER 3**_

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_**Translations and Explanations Section: **_  
Okay this is where I tell you a little bit more about the terms I used for my fan-fiction. They may or may not be perfect, so please comment if I had done some sort of error. This is also where you'll find out more about the next chapter.

_**Sound Sound Fruit**_ – A Paramecia type Devil Fruit that allows the eater to emit sound waves. Through rigorous training, Jinko is able to control the pitch and power of each sound wave (i.e. she can control how loud a sound wave can be). It is also through this training that Jinko is able to mimic any sound that she hears, as well as control the sound around her. An interesting side effect of the Fruit is that the eater gains a young and pristine body regardless of how old the eater is.

_**Marco the Marvelous **_**– **A so-called millionaire and the owner of Dolmarear. The reason the island is called the island of illusions is because of this man and his Devil Fruit power. Marco has an accent that is strange to everyone who hears it and comes out as a gentleman who likes to say marvelous in nearly all of his sentences. In reality, he's a bounty hunter who has hypnotized pirates, Marines, and anyone else that visits Dolmarear using his Devil Fruit to do whatever he says. He wields a large scythe and his mansion is filled with traps of almost every kind.

_**Rott Weiler**_ – Marco's second in command and the sole swordsman of Dolmarear. He is, in fact, a Marine Commodore that has been missing for some time. His name is derive from the dog of the same name, and just like the animal, he will attack anyone his master tells him.

_**Video Den Den Mushi**_ – The Surveillance Den Den Mushi is a type of Den Den Mushi that acts as a video camera. They come in two sizes. The small Surveillance Den Den Mushi are mounted in specific locations around a building with an alarm connected to the shell. They are all connected to a larger Surveillance Den Den Mushi that is able to pick up the signals. These large ones are connected to a machine which produces video feeds to a set of monitors.

_**Dazzle Dazzle Fruit**_ – A Paramecia type Devil Fruit that allows the eater to disorient, hypnotize, or dazzle the opponent by looking at them straight in the eye. This is the Devil Fruit that Marco ate.

_**Dazzling Hypnosis**_ – Marco casts a hypnotic glare that can either knock out a person or hypnotize them.

_**True Blade; Flying Fang**_ – Rott Weiler performs a powerful slash that launches an air blade forth. It is very destructive.

_**Yuufu no Ryuujin**_ – Literally, "_Heroine of the Dragon King_." An Iai or drawing and sheathing technique in which Jinko rushes forth and spins before the opponent, getting to their back as she draws her sword. Because of her limber body, this attack has a large radius and has more power than a normal drawing and sheathing technique due to the spin.

_**Sea Sea Fruit**_ – A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that makes the user's body like Seastone, thus nullifying Devil Fruit abilities. It was eaten by Isaac.

_**Orion's Knuckle**_ – A simple straight punch. It is named after Orion, a famed hunter and a constellation.

_**Kyuka Island**_ – An island in the Grand Line known to be a vacation hot spot.

_**Finishing Justice**_ – Merrian's own Moral Justice. Merrian believes that whatever actions one takes in life will lead to either a good or bad ending. Thus, Merrian believes that a pirate will always pay for his crimes whereas a Marine will be triumphant if they see the mission to the end.

_Paikea: On the next Chapter of Legacy of the Assassin!_

_Shade: Who the hell are you?_

_Axe: I'm here to kick your ass, Shadow Fist!_

_Paikea: Jin-chan, do you know a lot about aniki? _

_Jinko: I guess I can tell you a story about Shidyk-kun…_

_Isaac: Next time on Legacy of the Assassin! __**Duel on Drum Island – The Beginning of Shidyk D. Shade!**_

_**And here is the third chapter of L.o.t.A.! As to whom Marco the Marvelous is…well he was a prototype Shidyk. He was my first go in creating a male assassin for Jinko to be friends with. Marco was rather different than what I portrayed him: he was more flamboyant and a bit of a trickster. I decided to give him a Devil Fruit that was made from a word meaning Dazzle since he likes to be Marvelous. He was replaced by the Shidyk you see nowadays after my friend, Zachary Rubin, and I agreed that Marco the Marvelous didn't sound as good as Shidyk D. Shade. **_

_**So this chapter is dedicated to my friend Zach, and all my readers out there! Thank you all for being patient!**_

_**Shidyk D. Shade**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to One Piece. I own only some of the OC's in this fan-fiction, and any place I make up.

_Italic_ – Someone thinking

_Italic and Underline_ – A flashback or Location shift

**_Bold and Italic_** – Terms that will be explained

**_Bold, Italic, and Underline_** – Journal entry, Bounties, Author notes, or Chapter

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**_Chapter 4: Duel on Drum Island - The Beginning of Shidyk D. Shade!_**

**_Excerpt from Isaac's Journal, Date being August 6th…  
Things have been going pretty smoothly since we left Dolmarear and Jin-chan took Paikea with her to Kyuka Island. Truth be told, Shade seems to be missing Paikea and, even though I know that Jin-chan can take care of her, I'll be glad for her to be back by our side. I know I shouldn't be so attached to her, but she reminds me of Sage. In any case, we've made it to Drum Island in less time that I thought it would take us, and so now we see what exactly will happen..._**

"For the last time, Shade! Wear the damn coat!"

"No! You can't make me!"

It had been like this for a while, ever since Isaac and Shade had landed on Drum Island. Shade had this issue with shirts that the two usually ignored until it came to places like Drum Island. So here they were, acting like a mother and her spoiled child as Shade tried to avoid the winter coat that Isaac was trying to force on him. Isaac knew wearing shirts or coats made Shade uncomfortable, but frostbite was even more uncomfortable. And Shade was extremely annoying when he was sick.

"You are wearing this coat and that's final!" Isaac snapped, finally cornering his friend.

Shade knew that if he was going to get to explore the island, it would have to be while he wore the coat. The problem was that if he _did_ wear the coat, he would end up having one serious rash all over his upper body. It was something that Isaac knew, of course, but he figured a rash was better than serious frostbite.

Shade would take the frostbite any day, but not today. He sighed as he held his arms in defeat, "Alright, fine. I'll wear the stupid coat."

After finally docking the ship, both assassins made their way through the snow covered forest as the wind picked up. A few miles of trekking and they made it to a town called Bighorn and were able to locate a bar where they went to work at eating all of the available wares that the place held. Isaac wondered a little more about Paikea, hoping that Jinko was keeping her safe when he noticed his friend stop mid-bite from eating one of the many meat racks that he had ordered.

"What's up, Shade?"

"Nothing. It's fine."

Shade didn't know how to describe it. He felt a strange vibe in the air, as if someone had been calling out to him. He knew Isaac would ask too many questions, questions he wasn't sure he could answer, and decided it was best not to say anything.

After gulping down the last of the meat racks, Shade held out the plate to the barkeep, "More?"

The owner stood there in silence for a moment before he exploded, "THAT'S THE 50TH PLATE YOU'VE HAD!"

Shade shrugged, "So? I want more, come on, man, I'm starving."

The owner looked at him for a while before he sighed and took the plate, "Yeah, yeah…hang on."

Isaac held out his own plate and the barkeep sighed as he went to fill the two orders. Shade glanced at his friend, and saw Isaac looking at the bracelet that Sage had left him. He had been staring at the bracelet almost regularly since Paikea showed up. Shade was getting worried for his friend. He opened his mouth to suggest that, maybe, it would be best for Isaac to stay with Jinko while he returned Paikea home by himself. However, Shade's priorities decided to take five as their plates returned with more hot, steaming food.

As both assassins returned to their meals, they noted three new arrivals when the doors of the bar opened again. The two girls had ears and tails of animals, a cat and a fox respectively, and Shade wondered if the two were part of a travelling show. What got Shade's attention, though, was their companion: a young man with messy black hair and a large stone axe on his back.

The words of the strangers back in Whiskey Peak returned, and Shade wondered if this was the same captain that the two had mentioned. It seems that Isaac also caught on to this and looked at his partner to see if the storm-haired man would do something. Isaac spotted a small signal from Shade's hand, telling him not to act just yet. Neither of them knew if this was the same person those two in Whiskey Peak spoke of, so there was no need to question him without at least seeing what the kid would do.

Said kid took one look at them and nearly went white upon seeing the two assassins. A normal reaction. Shade and Isaac were famous, after all, and their reputation tended to scare off most people the moment they announced themselves. That was when Shade heard the fox-girl ask the kid about him from the reaction he just gave them. The dark-haired kid, at first, didn't say a thing until both caught him pointing at Shade, "That guy…"

The cat-girl was curious, as she plopped down beside the kid, "Uh-huh, what about him?"

The kid kept pointing at Shade, "That man…is the most famous Zoan-user molester in the Grand Line!"

Shade choked the moment he heard the outburst while Isaac spat from the drink he was having as both girls screamed and ran off. It took Shade a good swing of the beer to stop choking whereas Isaac was trying hard not to laugh at his friend's expense. The kid got back up and shrugged, "Sorry, pal, but they were annoying me. You okay?"

Shade glared daggers at the kid as he regained his composure and growled, "Fine…you couldn't have thought of a better way to get rid of them?"

The kid merely shrugged again as he took one of Shade's meat racks, "Yeah, but I didn't feel like scarring them for life."

Isaac looked at the stranger with the same look he gave Shade when he said something stupid, "Didn't you just do that?"

"To a smaller degree, I think. No hard feelings about my sanity being safe at your expense?" the kid asked, tossing the piece of meat into his mouth.

Shade didn't say anything, but Isaac knew that his friend would be paying the kid back for this. Then again, Isaac had needed a good laugh. Maybe the kid wasn't so bad.

_With Jinko and Paikea; Kyuka Island..._

Jinko stretched leisurely in her sun-lounger enjoying the refreshing breeze as she wondered how Shade and Isaac were doing. Jinko had decided to take Paikea to Kyuka Island. It was a well-known vacation spot, built around a giant tree, and offered many activities for tourists from shopping to the famous swimming pools. Granted, ever since she ate her Devil Fruit, Jinko couldn't swim but it was nice to be able to relax and not have to worry about anything in particular as she enjoyed her small vacation with Paikea.

Jinko watched the young Shandian as she played with other kids in the pool. She was glad that Paikea had been able to make friends. The girl had been nervous from the moment they arrived. Thankfully, after a shopping trip to find new swimsuits and sampling the local cuisine at lunch, Paikea had settled down and was having the time of her life.

A waiter came to her side and placed a drink she had ordered on the small table that was beside the sun-lounger and asked politely, "Is everything to your liking, Madame?"

Jinko grinned as she took her drink and gave the man a tip, "Perfectly."

The waiter bowed and left as Jinko sipped her drink in peace, until she noticed Paikea coming back to her. She set her drink down and handed the girl a towel. Paikea's brow was furrowed in deep thought.

"Is something wrong, Paikea-chan?"

"No, it was fun...but..." She looked up at Jinko, who nodded encouragingly, and continued, "I wanted to ask you something."

"And that would be?" Jinko urged, helping Paikea dry off her wings.

Paikea took a deep breath and looked quite serious, "Can you tell me a bit about aniki's past?"

Jinko was confused at who "aniki" was. Paikea, upon seeing Jinko's confused expression, clarified that she meant Shade. Jinko nodded, "Why the sudden interest?"

Paikea looked down to her feet and shuffled them a bit, "Well…it's just…they're really being nice to me and I don't know them at all…so I thought if I did…maybe I could understand why they're helping me so much…"

Jinko sighed at Paikea's earnest eyes and gestured for her to sit down. She didn't start talking until Paikea had something to drink. She wondered if Shade would have considered it an invasion of privacy. She knew Isaac would have, and maybe that was why Paikea didn't ask about him. Isaac didn't like others going around telling people about him. Though, Paikea did have a right to know about her saviors.

"Well, we'll start with Shade's story, and I can try to give you a few details about Isaac, okay?"

Paikea nodded as Jinko began, "Shade-kun arrived at the Guild sometime after I did. He had been brought in by one of the Masters of the Guild and was to be his protégé-"

"What's a protégé?"

"It means someone who will take up after whatever art one is good at. A successor."

Paikea's mouth made a small "o" as she understood the word while Jinko continued, "I don't know all of the details, but I do remember some of what he said to the people that became his closest friends."

_With Shade and Isaac; Drum Island…_

Isaac watched from a safe distance as Shade and the kid from the bar, Axe, stood before one another and prepared to duke it out. After having eaten their fill, Shade and Isaac had decided to leave the bar and see what they could dig up in Drum Island while their Log Pose settled. It had not been more than ten minutes, on their way towards the next town that Shade had managed to dodge a flying tomahawk and was challenged by the kid from the bar.

At first, Isaac had wanted Shade to avoid the fight, but Axe had not helped in the matter and attacked Shade using something he called **_Rokushiki_**. Isaac had seen such power before, but didn't know the name. Shade, having sparred with Isaac before, managed to block and avoid all of Axe's attacks, but what had been a surprise was the fact that although Axe knew how to use Rokushiki, he claimed he wasn't part of the World Government. Now, both fighters were facing off again, and Isaac had decided to see how long it would take for Axe to realize Shade was far beyond his level.

Axe seemed confused for a moment before he murmured out loud, "You…have the same eyes as me…"

Shade blinked, "No, we don't."

"I'm not talking about the color!"

"Then what _are_ you talking about?"

"Your eyes…you've seen tragedy, and you've experienced much pain…"

Isaac was surprised at how observant Axe was, as not a lot of people could see past Shade's personality and his antics. The boy was special and he could now see why Shade had asked his friend not to interfere in the fight. Of course, no matter how special Axe was, Isaac knew that there was no way Shade would lose to some rookie in a physical battle.

While Axe focused on a memory, Shade snorted as he took a boxing stand and charged, "**_Herculean Boxing_**!"

The young captain was snapped from his daydream, but it was too late as Shade's fists connected in a flurry of punches. Isaac had seen Shade fight, and while his friend was horrible at stealth and quiet-killing, he made up for it in raw strength. The youth didn't stand a chance as he was sent flying back before he skidded on the snow and came to a halt while Shade regained his breath.

Isaac leaned on the tree he was next to and shook his head before he called to Axe, "You should keep your mind in the battle and not let it wander! Shade _will_ kill you if you don't pay attention!"

This was a bluff. Shade wouldn't have killed the kid for challenging him to a fight, but Isaac didn't think it was right to let the kid get beat up anymore than necessary. Shade gave him a look, making it very clear that he didn't appreciate the bluff. Isaac wanted the fight to end soon. The more into a fight Shade got, the more likely it was that his Devil Fruit would go off, and if that happened, things would get very ugly very fast.

Axe got ready to charge again, but Shade was a step ahead as he unleashed another bout of _Herculean Boxing_ on him. This time, Axe had a hard time getting back up. Isaac guessed the damage from two consecutive flurries of strikes had finally taken their toll on Axe's body. Shade took the opportunity to grab Axe before he removed his own coat and used it to tie Axe up on a low hanging branch like a punching bag. Isaac knew what was coming but decided that Axe needed to learn from his mistakes.

Shade cracked his knuckles slightly as he addressed Axe, "Now that I've gotten your attention, how's about I ask you a few questions? First off, if you're not part of the World Government, how the hell do you know _Rokushiki_?"

Despite being hung up like laundry, Axe smirked, "If you must know, I learned it from a wanted man."

Shade frowned as he looked at Isaac, whom merely shrugged, before the assassin returned his attention to Axe, "Go on…"

"Make me."

"Suit yourself, kid."

Shade began to pound Axe like a punching bag, only letting up every few minutes to see if Axe would cooperate with him and answer. Isaac sighed and knew this would take a while. The kid was far more stubborn than he let on.

After twenty minutes of punishment, Axe's face looked as if someone had decided to turn him into a balloon from all the swelling the strikes had caused. Shade was getting ready to sock him one more time when Axe shouted, "ALRIGHT!"

Shade smirked as he broke the branch and let Axe fall on the snow, "Good boy."

Axe groaned on the ground as the storm-haired man kneeled beside him, "Now…who taught you _Rokushiki_, and why on earth did you even think of challenging me to a fight? I'm a complete stranger to you, you don't know anything about me, and yet you want to try and kick my ass?"

Isaac silently admitted that Shade had a point, and he too wondered why someone like Axe would go after someone like Shade. Unfortunately, due to the pain he had suffered, all both assassins got for an answer was mumbling and gasping. Shade decided that he wasn't going to take more of this, and frowning, grabbed Axe by the hair to look him in the eye, "Hey, speak up!"

Isaac was about to tell Shade to give him a few more minutes when he was surprised to see Axe grinning as he held a strange conch and stated, "Gotcha." Shade didn't get a chance to form a sentence as Axe shouted, "**_Flash Dial_**!"

Shade wailed as the conch let out a blinding light and let go of Axe, swearing as he tried to restore his sight. Isaac, who had been able to react faster than his friend, began to unfurl his whip, but didn't get a chance to help out as Axe's arms turned stone-like and he let Shade have it.

"**_Kachi Kachi no Bazooka_**!"

Isaac watched as Shade was sent flying, right into a small grove of trees, knocking a few to the ground on impact. He had never guessed some rookie would've been capable of sending Shade flying like that, and knew that there was going to be trouble now.

Shade for his part, had gone from annoyed to furious as he got up and removed the trees that had landed on him. His anger fueled his Devil Fruit and the black flame reacted to his will as it form a long sword of black fire. It was only a few seconds, but Isaac watched as Shade struck Axe with **_Thamuz_**, and while Isaac was glad to see that Axe was still alive despite the sword being made out of that unholy flame, Shade had cut Axe in a way that had ended the fight.

The moment Shade regained his senses; however, Isaac had to act as Shade yelped when he realized that he was holding _Thamuz_ in his hands again. The blade began to flicker and shift as Shade lost focus. Isaac dashed over, grabbing Shade's hands and canceling out his Devil Fruit. After a moment, Shade regained his composure and sighed as he looked at his friend, "I did it again, huh?"

"Yes…I'm just glad that we managed to keep it from going wild," he sighed. He didn't bother adding that it would have been disastrous if it had.

Both began to make their way back to Bighorn when they heard Axe shout at Shade, "Where ya going...? I'm not finished with you yet!"

"Yes, you are," Shade shot back calmly, not stopping for an instant.

Isaac was impressed his friend was keeping such a calm act up after calling his Devil Fruit out, but had to agree with Shade. The wound wasn't quite bad, but it was enough to keep anyone in bed for a long time if they pushed it. He turned to see if Axe was taking the advice, but was mildly shocked to see Axe standing as the blood poured from the wound. Isaac stopped, which made Shade sigh in annoyance as he turned around and faced the youth, "You're pushing it, kid. That wound's not deathly serious, but if you don't get it fixed up, you're going to have one hell of a time recovering from it-"

"Get back here!" Axe shouted, taking a wobbly step towards them.

Shade scratched the back of his head, "Why? Why is it you keep wanting to take me on, kid? What is so damn important about this, you got a death wish?"

What Axe mumbled next caught both by surprise as he gripped the stone axe, "In a way, I do...but I can't go just yet, I have a great sin to repent for. What drives me, Shidyk D. Shade, is probably drives all us D's through their life."

Shade was surprised to hear the proclamation but had something else stuck in his mind that he needed to clarify first, "You're a D?"

Axe nodded before Shade began to laugh hard, "D. Axe? That's got to be one of the weirdest names I've ever heard in my life!"

"Oh yeah, D. Shade?"

"Ah, touché."

_With Jinko and Paikea; Kyuka Island Resort Hotel; poolside…_

Jinko sipped her drink as she let her thoughts wander towards the sky and remembered what she had been told about Shade. Paikea watched her intently. It was actually very amusing. The little girl was staring at her as if this story would explain every question she could ever have about anything.

"Shade's full name is Shidyk D. Shade, and he was born on an island called **_Litho_** to a family of miners. Ever since he was small, Shade was rather unique among the children of the island for his strength and appearance. The children's parents warned them never to get near him and I think that hurt Shade a lot because all he really wanted was a friend."

She could almost see a young Shade, watching the children run away as he approached, hearing their parents telling them off for being so close, or shouting at Shade to stay away from them. She always felt sorry for him when she recalled Shade's past, and wondered for a bit if he had ever really had friends back at his home.

She sighed as she went on, "The only people Shade could ever count on for any kindness was his family: his parents and his baby sister, Chou. Those three gave him all the love they could provide and more. He admired his father very much, and was always looking to help his mother and sister in his free-time. However, his father died trying to save some other miners during a cave-in."

Paikea looked worried, but didn't say anything, so Jinko continued, "The worst came after his father passed away and an evil man came to his island. The rulers of the world, the **_Five Elder Stars_**, decided to get rid of the evil man and send one of their strongest warriors after him. In the end, though, something happened to the island, and the evil man got away."

"What happened to the island?"

Jinko shook her head. "I don't know," she answered, "He was never specific about what happened. He told me once that "Litho is gone," but I don't see how he could have meant that literally. I imagine, perhaps, that the island became uninhabitable after the battle between the evil man and that warrior. Shade is the only person left from Litho, as far as I know."

Paikea gasped in amazement at the idea of someone surviving something that could have erased an island. She started to ask questions. Who was the evil man? Who was the warrior? How did Shade survive? What about his mother and sister? Did they vanish with the island?

"I don't know if I can answer all of those questions for you yet," Jinko replied, "Shade still carries a lot of burden with him because of what happened. Thinking about it causes him too much pain. I don't think he'll be able to accept it until he finds that evil man and kills him."

_With Shade and Isaac; Drum Island; Bighorn Village…_

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO OUR CAPTAIN?!"

Dusty gawked at what she saw. Axe was laying quietly on a large bed, a thick, blood stained bandage wrapped around his torso. She turned to Shade and Isaac, both sitting on comfortable chairs, the former with one of his legs over his knee and hands behind his head while the latter read a book quietly.

Shade opened one of his eyes and shrugged at her, "We just had a little skirmish and I guess he couldn't take it. No biggie, he'll survive. Wake up with one hell of a sore spot but he'll survive."

Isaac snorted at his partner's comment, "We should be grateful that your Devil Fruit didn't go wild when you snapped out of it, though."

Shade glared at his partner but closed his eyes and commented at Dusty, "I think the last thing he needs is to have a furry brat wake him up."

"Brat!?"

Dusty stomped over to him and leaned in, "If I weren't afraid that you'd live up to your title and try to molest a Zoan user, meaning me, I'd whoop your ass!"

"You have got to be the most gullible person…you _do_ realize that he was joking, right?"

Dusty blinked as realization hit. "He's so getting an ass-whooping when we get back to the ship…" she growled, shaking her fist at her unconscious captain.

Isaac chuckled while Shade continued to defend the young captain, "You do that, but first, why don't you let him rest? Go play in the snow or something."

Dusty flipped Shade off as she stormed outside, making Isaac laugh a little at his friend's expense and the girl's courage. Shade didn't bother glaring at his friend as it would just have made Isaac's day. The storm-haired young man wondered why he hadn't finished what he started, why he had let Axe off as easily as he had. Perhaps it was because he didn't want Drum to be erased by his lack of control when it came to his Devil Fruit? Or maybe it was because Axe had said something rather interesting in their fight, how their eyes were the same.

Regardless of the reason, Shade had taken a liking to Axe and he would let him off to see what he would do once he was fully healed and back on track to find the late Pirate King's treasure.

"…Kairi…"

Both assassins looked towards the bedridden captain, and realized after a moment, that Axe was talking in his sleep. Shade went over to check on him, listening as Axe grunted and mumbled on through his sleep. He didn't notice Aro and Dusty come back inside until Aro said, "Man, he looks rough, what's wrong with him?"

"He's having a nightmare…by the looks of it, a real bad one," Isaac said, coming over and touching Axe's forehead.

"He probably got a fever from that wound…we'll need to get him to a doctor…" Shade mused. Isaac nodded in agreement.

Dusty snorted at the idea and shook her head, "Yeah, go all the way up the damn mountain…Ain't gonna happen. I don't think any of us are gonna get there, least not in a short amount of time."

Aro walked away from the group and began to forage the room, "He doesn't need one. Someone get me an ice-pack."

Shade looked at the cat-girl, "Why?"

"If we can bring the fever down, he'll be fine," she explained before she murmured under her breath, "I dunno what's going on in his head, but that nightmare…I don't even wanna know what he's dreaming of right now."

While the assassins helped Aro look for an ice-pack, Dusty looked outside and turned to the others with worry written in her face, "Well, we got another problem…"

"I told you, fox, I'm not a-"

Dusty quickly waved off the shirtless man. "Not talking about you, you egotistical dork. Vivi and Usopp left to someplace called Cocoaweed," she sighed, "First Straw Hat, now these two…"

That caught Shade's attention as he focused on the fox girl, "Straw Hat Luffy? Are you two traveling with him?"

"Yep…he's our captain and both our crews are heading for-" Dusty started, ears dropping, before she was cut off by Aro.

"Dusty, hush."

While Isaac finished setting the now filled ice-pack on Axe's head, he could see the cogs in Shade's head turning as he processed the information he had been given. Even Isaac was interested now, but he knew that he needed to keep Shade on track so that they could meet Jinko and Paikea again. He hoped that both were doing okay as the four took a look outside at the sound of someone laughing loudly.

_With Jinko and Paikea; Kyuka Island..._

Jinko and Paikea enjoyed their dinner as the sun began to set, and Jinko continued telling Paikea about Shade. "After he survived the destruction of _Litho_, Shade went out to sea to search for a way to get stronger and met up with one of the Assassin's Guild's Masters, **_"Bronze Bullet" Charlie_**. Charlie-sensei was…odd. He was an amazing warrior but everyone couldn't help but wonder what went through his mind at times."

"So, he was crazy?" Paikea asked, "Why did Shade-aniki choose him as a master?"

Jinko smiled a bit, "Even if Master Charlie was crazy, he was still one of the greatest warriors to ever exist. He could hit a target nearly an island away without ever missing a mark. He was also very kind deep down and didn't kill for no reason, something he taught Shade about assassination."

Paikea try to imagine such a man who would teach Shade how to fight while being such a strange fellow. It was hard, but she managed to get the idea of a wild man of some sort while Jinko sipped her drink and went on. "When he passed away, Shade was left without a Master to follow but because he didn't have one, he ended up meeting Isaac in the Infirmary many times. I went there to feed Isaac since it seemed he would only eat anything I made."

Paikea opened her mouth to ask why Isaac was in the infirmary, but Jinko cut her off, "Isaac was very sick when he met Shade. It's not something he would want me to talk about."

"Anyway, a few months after that, Shade acquired a new master, a retired Master named Felonious Shrodinger. He was Isaac's grandfather and had taught Master Charlie. Though, um, many people think Master Shrodinger's training is what made Master Charlie so crazy...Anyway! He was able to provide most of Shade's training and was the father figure Shade needed to finally realize how much he should care about the future than the past," She shook her, "Of course, that was after Shade went after the _Five Elder Stars_ and ended up fighting not only the three Admirals but the Fleet Admiral and a Vice-Admiral."

Paikea looked confused, and so Jinko explained, "Think of them as the strongest warriors in the entire world, so strong that even the strongest man in the world would have a hard time fighting them."

Paikea gasped as her imagination showed many great monsters defending five men while Shade fought them bare-handed. She had starry eyes as she exclaimed, "And he was able to survive too!?"

Jinko laughed a little at the girl's excitement, "Yes, but the fight didn't last long and he did get captured. He would have been executed if Isaac and I hadn't shown up with another friend of ours."

Paikea, of course, was already in the world where Shade was a superhero and Jinko was left to laugh at the younger girl's expression.

_With Shade and Isaac; Drum Island; Bighorn..._

"Are...are we dead?"

"I dunno..."

"If I am, then I'm in Hell."

"Why?"

"Because you two are here."

"HEY!"

"Shade, just get us out already."

In Bighorn Village, which was completely covered by the avalanche, a large mound of snow was being pushed upward, then collapsed inward. Dusty, Aro, Isaac and Shade poked their heads out of the white and looked at the town.

"Whoa..." Dusty breathed, "Heavy duty, man..." she slapped Shade on the shoulder, "Thanks for savin' our asses."

Shade rolled his eyes while Isaac climbed out of the snow and began to help the girls. Despite Isaac's warning, Shade barely managed to use his Devil Fruit to create a dome of black fire which had prevented the avalanche from crushing them along with most of the town. Isaac had then neutralized the fire once it was clear that the avalanche was over before he calmed Shade down from his shock. The blonde was rather proud of his partner for acting and not letting his fear of his Devil Fruit cloud his judgment in order to save the four from the ensuing natural disaster.

Isaac's thoughts got interrupted as Aro looked around at the buried village with concern, "Uh…guys…where's Axe?"

After several minutes of digging, Axe was found having saved the life of Dalton, the former captain of the guard for the former king. After the doctors that the former king had taken with him fixed both of them, it was decided that the group needed to stop this former king, and so a small group headed upwards to the castle atop the mountain. Shade and Isaac had stayed behind to help out around Bighorn.

The group was surprised to learn that Straw Hat and the Axe-Head's doctor had taken care of the issues and all ships were free to move on to Alabasta as planned.

That late afternoon, Shade and Isaac were sitting with Axe as the rest of the people of Bighorn began to take out the cannons and the two pirate crews got ready to get going. Shade, however, wanted to clear something up before he and Isaac also made tracks for the next island, "Kid…"

"What?" Axe asked.

"You said that we had the same eyes. Eyes that had seen suffering and pain."

"Yeah?"

"What happened to you?"

"Do I ask you how come you're the way you are!?" the young captain snapped, glaring at Shade.

Isaac decided to intervene before it got ugly, "Now, now. Let's calm down. I'm sorry if Shade touched a nerve, he can be pretty insensitive."

Shade glared at his friend but let it drop since it was usually Isaac that could get people to stay cool under pressure. Then again, Isaac could overreact over the strangest things, so it was hard to tell at times how he could be so calm. Thankfully, Isaac did the trick and Axe sighed loudly while he held his head, "I know, and I'm sorry. It's just…that I got so much on my mind right now…"

Shade followed his gaze and took a look at Axe's crew before grinning a bit. From the small boy and the girls, to the penguin, swordsman, and lobster Fish-man, he had to admit that it was perhaps the strangest crew of pirates he had ever had the chance of meeting. He leaned a bit on the wall and chuckled, "You have a very interesting set of friends."

Isaac nodded as Axe answered, "I know…I just hope I can keep them safe."

"Safe? From who…?" Isaac asked.

"Traitors," Axe spat, "Gotta keep them safe until they're strong enough to take them down…but first, we gotta take care of Straw Hat and Vivi."

"You're going to try and take down Monkey D. Luffy?"

Axe shook his head as one of his crewmates, Niri, brought him some hot chocolate and sipped, "Not now, not right away. I gotta help him and his crew get Vivi to Alabasta."

Shade tilted his head to the side as he tried to get what Axe was getting to, "Alabasta? I'm a little confused…"

Axe tightened his coat and went on, "Vivi is the Princess of Alabasta, heir to the royal throne. She, Luffy and some of his crew, as well as some of mine, are in danger."

"Danger of what?" Isaac asked.

"Of a crime syndicate known as Baroque Works. A large organization who wants to destroy and take over Alabasta by causing the citizens of the nation to rise up against their King. After that is accomplished, _he_ will take over."

"He?" Shade asked.

"Sir Crocodile."

"The _Shichibukai_, Sir Crocodile?"

"The very same…our crew learned the secret of Baroque Works and their leader through Vivi, and in doing so, they became marked on his Death List," Axe went on before he finished the rest of his drink, "So, we can hardly trust anyone as we go on."

"But you're telling us…so does that mean you trust us?"

Axe nodded, "Yep."

Shade gave a sly grin as he looked at the young captain in the eye. "How come? We could very well be a part of Baroque Works…We could be working for them right now, while you're telling us all of this. What makes you think we can be trusted enough to be told all this?"

Axe cracked his neck before he began to count off with his hand, "Well, first of all, you're an assassin, not a guy who would follow a Shichibukai's orders. Second, with your bounty, you two would be the _heads_ of Baroque Works instead of Crocodile…"

Isaac chuckled, "Is that all?"

"No," Axe rubbed his hands and smiled bit at both assassins as he returned Shade's glance, "You spared me in our fight. If you really wanted to kill us, you would've done so when you first left the bar. With your power, you could've wiped us out by now."

Both assassins laughed as Shade slapped Axe's back, "You have an interesting way of thinking, Axe."

"Got to think outside the box to survive here and there in this cruel world, Shade..."

The three stood quiet for a while before Shade decided to add, "We're heading for Alabasta as well."

Axe looked curiously at the two and asked, "Why? You gonna help us?"

Shade snorted, "As if I waste my time with weaklings!" When he caught sight of his partner's glare, he decided to tone things down and cleared his throat, "There is someone there I have to fight, someone who messed up my past…Maybe you've heard of him."

"Depends," Axe answered with a shrug, "What's his name?"

Shade looked Isaac, who gave him a nod, before he told the young captain, "His name…is **_Black Crow_**, the Revolutionary."

Axe's mug suddenly shattered as he closed his fist and would've shouted if Isaac didn't quickly cover his mouth so that it became muffled. After a few minutes, Isaac let go and Axe began his rant, "Why the hell are you after a guy like that!? He's destroyed seven kingdoms!"

Shade grinned madly as his left arm twitched, "Let's just say, it's payback for something he did."

_With Jinko and Paikea; Kyuka Island; hotel room…_

Jinko and Paikea finished packing up their things as they prepared to leave the hotel in the morning. It had been fun, but by Jinko's reckoning, Shade and Isaac would be done and headed to Alabasta tomorrow morning. It didn't help that she had caught site of a few Marines here and there, and she didn't want to tempt fate and get captured. She decided to spend the time telling the young Shandian stories of Shade and Isaac when both of them were still in the Guild.

"Then there was the time that Shade became one of the **_Kings of Death_**," she mused, "That was a day I don't think any of us would really forget."

Paikea looked a bit scared. "_Kings of Death_?"

"It's a title, Paikea-chan. It means that Shade is one of the strongest members of the Guild and that he is capable of doing jobs people like me aren't allowed to do."

Paikea had the same awestruck look in her face when Jinko had told her about Shade's exploits. "Does that mean Isaac's just as strong?"

Jinko smiled, "Actually, Isaac was asked to be a King of Death, but he passed. The title he was offered was given to Shade instead."

Paikea's awe didn't die but doubled and she began to wonder if she could one day be strong enough for such a title. Jinko, for her part, continued to pack while some of the darker parts of her story that she left off came into her mind. She shook her head as she tried to shake them off, not wanting to remember exactly what her relation to Isaac was. She didn't want to recall how she was also used as a way to keep an eye on both Shade and Isaac by her own Grandfather. She didn't want to tell anyone exactly what her role now was, especially this young girl who had now become her friend.

_With Shade and Isaac; Drum Island waters…_

Shade and Isaac watched as the strange rose colored cloud covered the land in pink snow, making it look as though cherry blossom petals were scattering all around. Both found the sight rather amazing but knew that their journey was about to get rough as they headed towards Alabasta and the man responsible for Shade's misfortune.

Shade found himself at the helm with one thought, that he spoke aloud, "Ready or not, Black Crow, get ready to be beaten by one of the world's greatest assassins!"

**_END OF CHAPTER 4_**

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**_Translations and Explanations Section: _****  
**Okay this is where I tell you a little bit more about the terms I used for my fan-fiction. They may or may not be perfect, so please comment if I had done some sort of error. This is also where you'll find out more about the next chapter.

**_Rokushiki_**** – **Rokushiki are special skills that are known only to the members of CP9 under extreme training of the body. Axe is one of the few pirates/criminals in the world who also use this art.

**_Herculean Boxing_**** – **Shade unleashes a flurry of punches at his victim. While it is nothing special, due to his strength, Shade's attack is far more dangerous.

**_Flash Dial_**** – **Works in the same way as a Lamp Dial, however unlike the Lamp Dial it produces light in a quick and bright flash. In battle it can be used to blind someone for a brief moment of time, allowing the user to strike their foe when they are recuperating. This is one of the few Dials that can make Shidyk solid to strike.

**_Kachi Kachi no Bazooka_**** – **Axe transforms his entire arm into a solid stone formation and rams it at his opponent or building, full force.

**_Thamuz_**_ – _Shade creates a sword made out of his Devil Fruit's flame. It is a powerful weapon and Shade can either use it as one sword or split it in two. Thamuz happens to be the name of a fictional Demon, whose name in turn is derive from a god known as Tammuz.

**_Five Elder Stars_**_ – _Theyare the heads of the World Government, and as such, they essentially rule the entire world. They are the five men who rule above the Marines, Cipher Pol, and the ones who made a pact with the Shichibukai.

**_Litho_** – Shidyk's birthplace.

**_God's Judgment_**** – **Also known as "El Thor" mostly used to punish "infidels", Eneru focuses a large cluster of electricity above his target, then uses it to send a huge lightning bolt crashing down from the sky, deep frying said unlucky target. He can also use this attack to launch a massive thunder stream from his hand.

**_"Bronze Bullet" Charlie_**** –** A master assassin and marksman. The oddest of the Masters that controlled the Assassin's Guild during Shade's time and Shade's Master. He wore his clothes backwards and said the most random things no matter what the situation. Despite this, he was both a good assassin and a caring man who taught Shade to only kill for a reason that did not involve pleasure. He died from a heart attack.

**_Black Crow_**** –** A revolutionary of powerful and intimidating dispute. He is shrouded in many mysteries but a few things are known about him. He has a bounty of 553 million Belli for the legendary destruction of seven kingdoms in a single week.

**_Kings of Death_** – A title earned by the seven strongest assassins in the Assassin's Guild. The names of each king belong to the seven deadly sins and each assassin excels in an aspect of assassination from poison to tactics. The title can only be earned through skill or talent

_Shade: On the next Chapter of Legacy of the Assassin!_

_Jinko: Rayo-kun! What are you doing here?_

_Rayo: We have a problem._

_Merrian: So many criminals, so little time. _

_Black Crow: All the pieces have finally been gathered._

_Paikea: Next time on Legacy of the Assassin! __**Nanohana Chasing - Several Crossroads Join!  
**_

**_The 4th chapter at last! It took me a while, but I got there. I want to thank kilnorc again for letting me borrow some of the parts with Shidyk. Anyway, with this done, Alabasta is soon to come!_**

**_Shidyk D. Shade_**


	5. Chapter 5

**_(This Chapter Written by Crazyfishie)_**

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything related to One Piece. I own only some of the OC's in this fan-fiction, and any place I make up.

_Italic_– Someone thinking

_Italic and Underline_– A flashback or Location shift

**_Bold and Italic_**– Terms that will be explained

**_Bold, Italic, and Underline_**– Journal entry, Bounties, Author notes, or Chapter

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**_Chapter 5: Nanohana Chasing - Several Crossroads Join_**

**_Excerpt from Isaac's Journal, Date being August 12_****_th_**

**_We have finally arrived at Alabasta, and met up with Jinko and Paikea. From the sound of it, they had a great time at a resort that Jinko booked them in. Paikea also told me that Jinko told her about Shade. It's probably for the best that she did it, since Shade never talks about his past. Well, no, that's not entirely true. He does go back to Black Crow. Word is he's here, in Alabasta. Now all we need to do is figure out where the bastard is hiding._**

Shade growled and muttered a few curses about the sun as he waited for the others to return. Jinko and Paikea had gone off to find them some desert gear, while Isaac decided to stock up on supplies, leaving Shade to guard the ship. He had insisted that he didn't need any desert gear, but Isaac was adamant.

"I'm not going to listen to you whine because you got sunburnt," he had said, "It's going to be a long journey to Rainbase and you're going to dress for it!" There had also been some comment about how there were children who were better behaved than Shade was, but the Misfire Assassin chose to ignore it.

Now, he was trying his best to stay in the shade. It was too hot to train and the inside of the ship was even hotter than the outside. And he was bored. He wished Isaac hadn't gone into town. They didn't really need supplies. Shade hadn't eaten that much of the food.

Isaac overreacted to everything.

He growled again as his shade shifted slightly, forcing him to move for the sixth time. As he got comfortable, he almost wished someone would attack the ship, just so he could have something to do.

"Why did it have to be a desert country?" he muttered, "Why couldn't it be a nice, spring island? Or maybe another winter island like Drum?"

He sighed and decided to take a nap. As he closed his eyes, he thought, _Hopefully things don't get any worse…_

_With Jinko and Paikea; Nanohana Shopping District…_

The marketplace was bustling, just as it had always done in Jinko's oldest memories. The stalls and shops were as bright and colourful as ever. Everywhere you turned there were entrancing sights to catch the eye: the glint of sunlight off a bottle of Alabasta's famous perfume, the glow of different silks neatly folded on a stall, the rainbow glimmer coming off of jewelry. Merchants sounded their wares at the passing crowd, their voices mixing with music and chimes. Meat sizzled on a nearby grill and the air was filled with the scent of spice. Dancing girls separated themselves from the crowd and swayed to music, collecting money from all who passed.

It was so nostalgic, and it comforted Jinko to know that some things never did change. In her daydreams, she could almost feel her mother's hand in her own and hear her father's voice. Suddenly, she was a little girl again, without a care in the world.

"Which one are we getting?"

Jinko jumped out of her dream and looked down at Paikea, momentarily dumb-founded. She suddenly realized that she was holding up two, large travelling cloaks.

"Ah, well, what do you think?" she asked, "Do you think we should get this one?" She held up a black cloak with a silver moon embroidered upon it, "Or this one?" She held up a red one with white lining.

Paikea thought for a moment and then pointed to the black one, "Aniki would look better in black."

Jinko nodded, "My thoughts exactly." She turned to the merchant, "We'll take this one."

As Jinko paid, Paikea noticed a man in a sky blue cloak walking towards them. His pace was quick and determined, as if he was looking to catch them before they disappeared into the crowd. At first, she thought it might be Isaac, but realized that the man was much smaller than the blonde assassin.

She grabbed Jinko's skirt and whispered urgently, "Jin-chan! A strange man is coming this way!"

Jinko frowned in confusion until she looked where Paikea was pointing. Then she smiled upon recognizing the so-called stranger, "Rayo-kun! What are you doing here?"

The stranger lowered his hood and a scarf that had been wrapped around his face, revealing that he was, in fact, Rayo Verrani. He pulled out his sunglasses and said, "I should be asking you the same thing, Jinko. Is Shade with you?"

Jinko nodded, "He's guarding the ship," then she added, "Isaac-kun is out buying supplies," even though she knew that Rayo didn't give a damn about Isaac.

Rayo frowned and bit his thumb, "We have a problem…"

There was something about Rayo saying "_We have a problem_." It wasn't that a problem didn't exist. It usually did. It was that when Rayo said "We have a problem," that problem tended to show up, loudly, with lots of destruction.

Which was exactly what happened.

The first thing they saw was Isaac, dressed in a faded purple cloak, jumping off a rooftop, startling the crowd. He stood there for a moment and looked around before making eye contact with Jinko. He gestured at her and then ran off. To most normal people, it would look like he was running for his life. To Jinko and anyone who knew Isaac's in-guild reputation as the "World's Fastest Assassin," that was a light jog. Just as he disappeared down an alley, a large explosion shattered a building.

Rayo tackled Jinko and Paikea to the ground as debris flew in every direction. People screamed and coughed thanks to the dust in the air. Rayo didn't move, nor did he allow the girls to move as the panicked crowd ran for cover. The three eventually lifted their heads, eyes burning and vision blurry, as the dust settled.

A man stepped out of the hole in the wall. His age was difficult to determine. He seemed vaguely in his thirties, but might've been younger. Or older. He was dressed in a sleeveless purple shirt that showed off scarred arms, blue trousers, and black boots. His black hair was short and spiked up top, but he had a long ponytail. His eyes were an intense shade of orange and indicated a man who started rebelling in his youth and just never stopped. Those eyes looked as if they could have caused the explosion, as insane as that sounded.

"I take it that's the problem?" Jinko asked. Rayo nodded. They both recognized the man as Captain "Death Audience" Marcus of the Marine's Special Forces Unit.

There was a series of hacking coughs as Lieutenant Bones came out behind him, rifle in hand, "Geez…how many times do we have to tell you not to blow up public property, Marcus?"

Marcus ignored him and looked frantically around, "Lost him…"

Bones sighed, "Well, he couldn't have gotten far."

Both Marines seemed about to leave when they spotted the trio still lying on the ground. For a moment, the five stared at each other. No one dared move.

Bones broke the silence. "It's **_Rayo the Beast_**! And Jinko of the Dancing Blade!" he shouted, fumbling to get his rifle up. Marcus grinned like a hungry predator.

Rayo got off the girls and ran off down one street with Marcus close behind. Jinko grabbed Paikea and headed down the opposite street as Bones began shooting at them.

_With Shade; Nanohana Docks…_

Shade was woken up from his nap by someone throwing a very heavy sack on him. He screamed and fought the air for a moment before getting clumsily to his feet. He dropped into a fighting stance, ready to strike his would-be attacker. However, as he spun around, he found himself to be alone. He frowned and relaxed.

Hesitantly, he opened the bag and was relieved to find it full of food. This meant it had been Isaac who threw it. Shade wondered why Isaac didn't just say so. He had no reason to hide and he wasn't one for silly games.

This meant something was wrong.

Suddenly, the wind picked up, but it wasn't a normal wind. It was concentrated on a point just to his left, its current flowing in a spiral and sucking strands of his hair towards it. The wind became heavier at that point until it was nearly solid. And when it was fully solid, it was a woman.

Captain Dalu grinned at him, "Long time no see, Shidyk D. Shade."

"Goddammit…"

_With Rayo; Streets of Nanohana…_

Rayo ran along the rooftops, only narrowly avoiding the explosions that burst into life behind him. Marcus had been pursuing him from the ground before, but had unfortunately come across several crates to climb up on. His shots were getting more accurate now that his target was in plain view.

Rayo came to the conclusion that he really had no choice but to fight. Marcus enjoyed the thrill of the chase a little too much and he didn't tire easily. Rayo knew he needed to wear him down to get away. He jumped off the roof and hopped on a passing cart—narrowly missing an explosion that sent the camels pulling said cart panicking—and landed across from Marcus.

"That **_Blast Blast Fruit _**of yours is quite destructive," he said.

Marcus slid to a stop a few feet away and grinned, "Well now…I was hoping I'd get to take down the Devouring Fist, but finding you here ain't too bad...So…what brings you here, _Rayo the Beast_?"

Rayo smirked and said, "If you pay me 300,000 Belli, maybe I'll give you a clue."

"Like hell!" Marcus shouted, throwing his arms back, "**Deadly Clap**!"

Marcus clapped and the resulting explosion was much bigger than the previous ones. It burst forth at Rayo's feet, sending him flying backwards across the rooftops. Rayo hit a roof once, bounced, and was able to twist and land on his feet before his second bounce. Marcus charged out of the black cloud left behind by the explosion and ran towards him.

"This is going to take a while," Rayo muttered under his breath as he ran off. He would need a proper opportunity if he wanted to shake the Marine.

_With Jinko and Paikea; Alleys of Nanohana…_

Jinko rushed through the streets as quickly as she could with Paikea in tow. She jerked the young girl through several sharp turns in the hopes of losing their pursuer. Said pursuer was not Lieutenant Bones at the moment, though he was nearby, but a very persistent bullet.

She shoved past several people and the bullet followed, zig-zagging around obstacles. It was just her luck that she'd be up against **_"Magic Bullet"_** Bones. He was well equipped to deal with Devil Fruit users. His Magic Bullets were made with Seastone, but were also capable of hunting down their targets. Sea stone bullets were bad enough, but person-seeking sea stone bullets were the worst.

Jinko stopped running at a slope in the road and let the bullet come for her, jumping away only a fraction of a second before impact. The bullet stuck in the ground.

Bones bolted out of an alley and aimed his rifle again. Jinko grabbed Paikea to run, but the shot never came. Instead, there was the loud crack of a whip. Bones yelped in pain as the rifle flew from his hands. There was a second crack and he was suddenly tied up.

The whip holder tugged his weapon and Bones fell on his back, struggling to get free. Jinko was relieved to see Isaac step out an alley and walked over to Bones, placing one foot on his chest.

"Gah! Not you!" Bones screamed in panic.

"Aw, don't say that, lover," Isaac purred, "Why don't you see about hitting me with one of those? You've done it before."

Jinko hoisted Paikea up and carried her off as Bones started screaming and crying. Isaac had a particular relationship with the Marine. It was not something she was sure she could explain to the young girl. Telling Paikea not to look back, Jinko ran for the ship.

_With Shade; Near the Docks…_

"**_Kaze Hou_**!"

Shade jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding the burst of wind that Dalu launched at him. They had taken the battle off the ship at his request. Granted, he had been joking, but wasn't all that surprised when Dalu agreed to it. He figured she didn't want to risk accidentally sinking the ship and drowning them both.

Another wind burst shattered a nearby wall as Shade rounded a corner to avoid it. "Get back here and fight like a man!" Dalu shouted, "What kind of assassin are you?"

"I've got no reason to pick a fight with you right now!" Shade shouted back, avoiding another burst, "I've got more important things to do!"

"And I've got a job! _Kaze Hou_!"

He ducked out of the way and continued running. Dalu was strong and had good control over her Devil Fruit in close combat and distance fighting, but she aimed and shot using her arm. He was fortunate that she only had one.

"**_Kama Kaze_**!"

A blade of wind flew above Shade's head, slicing through several buildings. Rubble fell, blocking his path. He was trapped.

His arm started to burn.

_No! Not here! Not now!_ He thought, placing a shaking hand over the bandages. He needed to calm down. Or get to water. Or find Isaac. If it got loose here, he wouldn't be able to stop it.

Dark flames flickered on his arm as Dalu approached. He stared at her, eyes wide, terrified.

An orb of wind gathered in Dalu's hand, "Looks like this is it," she said, "It's been a fun chase, but you had to know we'd get you eventually."

Shade opened his mouth to tell her to leave as the flames stopped flickering and grew steady. He didn't get the chance.

_Purupurupurupuru_

Dalu frowned and asked him, "Do you mind if I get that?"

Shade shook his head. He could have run, but he didn't. Even the slightest movement might set off his ability.

The wind dispersed and she pulled a Den Den Mushi out of her pocket, "Captain Dalu. What do you want?"

"Sir!" shrieked the Den Den Mushi. It seemed on the verge of tears, "We've got a problem! Lieutenant Bones is down!"

Dalu sighed, "**_Young_**, that shouldn't surprise you at all. Just get him back to the ship."

"No! You don't understand!" the Den Den Mushi, or Young, cried, "_Flash Step_ Isaac has him!"

"Goddammit…" Dalu muttered, "Why don't you call Marcus to deal with it? I'm in the middle of something!"

"Captain Marcus isn't answering!"

"Of course he's not! That would just make him useful! Fine, I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Thank you, sir!"

Dalu grumbled and hung up. She looked at Shade. "Next time," she said, before turning into wind and vanishing.

Shade sank to the ground and took several deep breaths. He didn't get up again until his arm felt normal. Once it did, he headed back to the ship.

_With Rayo; Streets of Nanohana…_

The next explosion almost got Rayo, but he had managed to dodge at the last minute. Marcus continued to give chase, explosions erupting near Rayo every time the Marine snapped his fingers. _Damn, this guy's persistent. If I can just get an opening…_

"Just come along quietly and I might make this easy for you," Marcus shouted.

"_You_? Your definition of "easy" would leave me crippled!" Rayo called back.

Marcus laughed, "You got me there!"

Another explosion forced Rayo to veer to the left. Ahead, he could see a taller building than the one he was currently running across. He smiled. _Guess I should show him why I've got such a big bounty…_

Rayo used the momentum of an explosion to get to the taller rooftop. Marcus, not about to be beaten, followed. He snapped his fingers, creating another explosion. However, just before the explosion set off, Rayo grabbed the Marine's arm, letting the explosion take them both upwards.

"**_Subra Crush_**!"

While in the air, Rayo delivered a succession of rapid strikes that Marcus didn't see coming and couldn't counter in their current position. Once that damage was dealt, Rayo grabbed Marcus and sent him flying into the ground, and then landed on the man's stomach. The Marine shouted in pain, but was cut off as Rayo restored the damaged nerves. The pain rendered Marcus unconscious.

Rayo ran for the docks, leaving his opponent for the rest of the Special Forces to find.

_With Shade; Nanohana Docks…_

Shade made it back to the ship without much trouble. His fight with Dalu had been a close call and he was relieved that she had been called off. He didn't particularly like her, what with her being a Marine and all, but he wouldn't subject her to…_that._

He was startled when someone landed behind him. He whipped around, almost expecting it to be Dalu, or Merrian himself. Instead, he was relieved to find that he recognized the new arrival and couldn't help but smile.

"Rayo, it's been a while. What're you doing here?"

Rayo removed his sunglasses, "I was meeting a source here, but he never showed. I ran into Jinko and a strange girl, but we got separated when the Marines showed up. I had to deal with Captain Marcus, but they got stuck with Bones, so I'm ninety-five percent sure they're okay."

Shade nodded, but the _thud_ of another arrival cut off his thanks. Both men turned to see that Isaac had landed aboard. The blonde assassin caught sight of Rayo. Both men stared at each other in silence.

"Verrani."

"Shrodinger."

This was the most civilized greeting Shade had ever seen them exchange.

It didn't get any farther than that because the girls ran on board. Rayo smiled, "See? I told you they were okay."

"Isaac-kun gave us a hand," Jinko said.

Rayo frowned. "Oh."

Isaac shrugged, "I was fine dealing with Bones until Captain Dalu decided to show up."

"Yes," Jinko said, awkwardly, "I noticed."

Shade moved beside her and whispered, "Did he make _The Face_?"

"He had his back to us, but I'm pretty sure he did," she replied, "You really need to talk to him about that."

Rayo cleared his throat, "So, what's the plan for getting out of here without Merrian finding us?"

"We'll need to hide the ship first," Shade said, "I'm not leaving until I know where Black Crow is."

Rayo nodded, "Word is he's been spotted in Rainbase. I'm not sure if he's affiliating with Sir Crocodile of the Shichibukai there, but they're in the same location."

Isaac frowned, "We'll have to hide the ship on the other side of the river and head through the desert on foot."

Shade pulled on the cloak Jinko had gotten him, "Then that's what we do. Everyone get ready."

Isaac sighed and got to the helm while the others prepared to sail. Within minutes, their ship was headed towards the river.

_With Merrian; Merrian's office aboard the __**Grand Gryphon**__…_

Most people would tell you it was impossible to look intimidating while taking care of a baby, but Vice-Admiral Merrian managed it quite well. He was seated behind his desk, holding his daughter Inko. She was a pudgy little thing, like most babies, with big blue eyes and her mother's lavender hair. She babbled and cooed in her father's arms as Bones, Dalu, and Marcus gave their reports.

"Let me see if I understand what you're telling me," Merrian growled as the three finished, "Four high profile criminals were running around Nanohana and you failed to apprehend even one of them?"

"I almost had Shade!" Dalu exclaimed, "If Bones hadn't needed me to save his ass, I'd have made the capture!"

"I didn't need my ass saved!" Bones objected.

"You were crying like a pack of little girls when I got there!"

"You have no idea how scary that guy is!"

"Well, maybe you should stop sucking!"

"Well, maybe Marcus should answer his Den Den Mushi!"

"Hey! Leave me out of this!" Marcus roared.

"At least the Recruits didn't have to dig my unconscious body out of a crater," Bones muttered.

"You wanna take this outside?!"

Merrian sighed. He wasn't in the mood to deal with this.

Luckily, the tension went flying out the door as soon as Uzura opened it. She stood there for a moment and waited for Bones and Marcus to relax before coming in. Inko squealed upon seeing her mother.

"Uzu-chan, please tell me you have some good news," Merrian said.

Uzura smiled at her husband and held up a sheet of paper, "Well, I suppose that depends on what your definition of "_good news_" is. What I have is a report."

Merrian took the paper from her and looked at it. "Ah, it's from **_Wolfie_**."

Inko cooed at the paper. Merrian grinned and cuddled her, "Yes, princess. It's from Uncle _Wolfie_!"

Dalu and Bones just stared. Marcus ignored Merrian's little daddy moment and went to look over his shoulder. "What's he got to say?"

"Well, he's left Jaya," Merrian answered as he read the report, "He's at _**The Hive**_ for now."

Merrian frowned thoughtfully and then nodded, "Uzu-chan, I want to you tell him to stay there for a few days. Let him know a situation has come up and I'll contact him as soon as I know what his next step should be."

"Understood," Uzura said, giving her daughter a quick kiss before leaving.

"Wait," Dalu said, "what situation?"

Merrian grinned, "Well, the Misfire Assassin is here, but he's not simply re-supplying. This means that Black Crow is likely on this island somewhere."

Bones' jaw dropped, "Y-you can tell all that just from his activities while here?"

"Well, that and the rumours that Black Crow has been spotted several times in Rainbase."

"Oh."

"**_Sho ho ho ho_**! He's not trying to hide though," Merrian continued thoughtfully, "He's letting himself be seen so that Shade will come to him. Imagine if Shade actually managed to defeat him. The Devouring Fist, Flash Step, The Beast, The Dancing Blade, and Black Crow all in one? That would be quite the bonus."

"And if he fails and Black Crow escapes?" Dalu asked.

Merrian shrugged without any concern, "Then we get him while he's weak. God, I haven't had this much fun since I was a captain."

The trio just stood there. They all knew they should be used to Merrian's behavior by now, but he was just too damn weird sometimes. Merrian adjusted his hat and ordered, "Get one of the smaller ships in the water. We'll take the river up to Rainbase. They'll have to take the desert, so we may be able to cut some of them off."

"Sir!" All three shouted as they left to do as commanded.

Merrian sighed and lifted Inko up so she was facing him, "There are so many criminals out there, princess. I need more time to catch all of them."

Inko giggled.

_Meanwhile, at Rainbase…_

There was a giant statue atop of the pyramid that was Rain Dinners Casino. It was gold and shaped like a Bananawani. Atop the statue was a man. He was wearing a long black coat that flapped around his body like beating wings in the wind and a mask with a long beak. He stared out at the city and at the desert beyond it.

"That smell," he murmured. "The smell of war. To think there are men here who think they can claim this glorious desert as their own…but once the dust settles, I'll take for myself. For The Revolution!"

He laughed, loudly, madly, but it was drowned out by the wind and the noise from the city below. He folded his arm over his chest and looked at the desert again, contemplating.

"I wonder...if _he_ will come?"

**_END OF CHAPTER 5_**

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**_Translations and Explanations Section: _**

Okay this is where I tell you a little bit more about the terms I used for my fan-fiction. They may or may not be perfect, so please comment if I had done some sort of error. This is also where you'll find out more about the next chapter.

**_Blast Blast Fruit_**: A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to cause nearby items to explode. It was eaten by Captain Marcus.

**_Deadly Clap_**:Marcus claps, setting off a large explosion nearby.

**_Magic Bullet_**:Bones' nickname in the Marines, due to the special Seastone bullets he uses to fight Devil Fruit users.

**_Kaze Hou_****: **Lit. "Wind Cannon."Dalu unleashes a blast of air that possess the force of a cannonball.

**_Kama Kaze_****: **Lit. "Scythe Wind." Dalu unleashes a large air blade to slice through nearby targets.

**_Seaman Recruit David Young_****:** A rookie sniper in Merrian's unit who works closely with Lieutenant Bones. He is known to panic easily, except under extremely specific conditions.

**_Subra Crush_****: **Rayo grabs an opponent by their arms and jumps into the air with them. While in the air, Rayo delivers a series of blows that stop nerves from sending signals before he throws his opponent into the ground. Rayo then stomps on the stomach of the person he is fighting and restores the nerves to deliver a very painful signal that usually knocks out anyone. Subra is one of the stars in the constellation of Leo.

**_Wolfie_**:One of Merrian's subordinates. Little is known about him, except that he's on a special assignment.

**_The Hive_**:A giant, mobile Marine base run by a close comrade of Merrian's, Vice-Admiral Hornet.

**_Sho ho ho ho_**:Merrian's unique laugh.

_Jinko: On the Next Chapter of Legacy of the Assassin!_

_Paikea: It's so hot...!_

_Rayo: I wonder if this lizard has any suitable meat to consume?_

_Isaac: Shade, what are you thinking?_

_Shade: Isaac, let's get a crew._

_Jinko: Next time on Legacy of the Assassin __**Dangerous Trek through the Desert! Journey to Rainbase!**_

**_I like to thank Crazy-Fishie, a close friend of mine, for writing this chapter. We'll be back to me writing the next chapter, so expect likely delays from real life. Otherwise, thanks for continuing to read this, everyone!_**

**_Shidyk D. Shade_**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything related to One Piece. I own only some of the OC's in this fan-fiction, and any place I make up.

_Italic_ - Someone thinking

_Italic and Underline_ - A flashback or Location shift

_**Bold and Italic**_** -** Terms that will be explained

_**Bold, Italic, and Underline**_** -** Journal entry, Bounties, Author notes, or Chapter

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_**Chapter 6: Dangerous Trek through the Desert! Journey to Rainbase!**_

_**Excerpt from Isaac's Journal, Date being August 13th…**_

_**After that mess in Nanohana, we've all agreed to head towards Rainbase on foot. Personally, I wish Verrani had left, but it seems he'll be sticking around for a bit to see that Shade doesn't do something stupid. He's got a lot of nerve acting as if he's careful. A lot of his little adventures are much more risky than what Shade and I do. We shouldn't have too much trouble since it's just crossing the desert, though...**_

Isaac steered the ship carefully, making sure to follow the directions that Jinko had given him as they headed up river to the center of the Desert Kingdom. They had been able to outmaneuver Merrian for the time being and were headed to a small cove that, according to Jinko, few locals knew about. She had assured them it would be the best place to hide the ship. The next step would be to head through the desert to avoid Merrian and the Special Forces. However, Shade had chosen to make things difficult by refusing to wear the cloak Jinko had gotten him.

"Shade, please! Paikea-chan and I thought you would like it!"

Isaac hid his smile as Shade, having been cornered, looked around desperately to try to find a way out of the so-called mess he was in. Isaac reviewed their path on the map Jinko had provided. From what he could tell, it would take at least about two days to cross the desert on foot, and that was if they didn't run into anything that would delay them. Jinko had warned the two that there were many dangers in the desert and it was unlike any they were used to. The raven-haired girl had made it clear that even she had trouble with the desert when she was younger, and her family had always travelled by caravan.

Isaac glanced over at the little battle below him and managed to halt his laughter to a snort as he saw Shade reluctantly putting on the cloak. He knew that Shade was glad they had been thinking about him, but didn't want to deal with the rash he would get from wearing it. It had taken several days for the one he had gotten from Drum Island to heal up. Isaac frowned; he suddenly didn't find the situation funny anymore as he realized that Shade would spend a great deal of time complaining. The blonde directed them into the approaching cove so they could dock and discuss their plan.

Jinko rolled out a map of the island and pointed where the river separated the island. "This is about where we are. It'll take about a day or two to reach Rainbase, here," she moved her finger lightly towards the city, "if we have good weather and we don't end up getting caught by surprise by the animals of the desert."

"Caught by surprise?" Shade repeated as he finished tying the ships on the small crop of stone.

"Yes, there are a lot of dangerous animals out there. Some of them will steal our gear if we're not careful, others will try to devour us, and there's some that might even trick us into going into circles."

The news did not go well with Rayo, who let out a resigned sigh, or Paikea, who bit her lip and held onto Isaac's hand for comfort. Isaac's face remained impassive, though he wasn't keen on the idea of fighting large animals, unlike Shade, who was grinning ear to ear.

Sensing that Shade would bolt before the others to go and fight the wild beasts, Rayo decided to add, "You mentioned the weather, Jinko-san?"

Jinko nodded as she rolled up the map, "Yes, the weather has been terrible as of late, from what one of my friends said. This side of Alabasta has been having rampaging sandstorms for the last few years, especially with the droughts that have lasted for so long."

Shade's grin faded and his shoulders slumped, all eagerness to fight gone, and he frowned. Fighting a giant lizard might've been Shade's idea of fun, but he didn't want to drag his friends into a sandstorm and having them end up buried alive. Rayo seemed relieved by this. It was one of the reasons he liked Shade, despite their differing professions.

The group disbanded and prepared to start their long trek to Rainbase.

_Silver Gryphon; at the same time…_

Merrian adjusted the umbrella he was using to shield his wife, kids, and himself from the sun. He was using one of the smaller vessels, the _**Silver Gryphon**_, to go towards Rainbase via the river running through the center of the country while the rest of the Special Forces Unit rounded the island to head towards a port so they could cover any chance of escape if Shidyk D. Shade and his friends ran towards the coast.

If Merrian was right, Shidyk D. Shade and his friends would be caught between him, Dalu, Bones, and Marcus on one side and the rest of the Special Forces on the other. A simple but very effective plan if everything worked out as Merrian thought it would.

"Are you sure it was a good idea for me to come with you? I could have stayed on the ship. The desert is no place for babies and toddlers," Uzura said, gently rocking Inko in her arms.

"The kids are fine, dear," Merrian replied, adjust Don in his lap. The toddler squirmed to escape his father's grip. "Look at Don! He can't wait to get to Rainbase!"

"Honey, he probably thinks the whole country is a giant sandbox. And then there's this heat…"

"You worry too much, Uzura. Besides, I couldn't leave you back on the ship! Then the only company I'd have for this trip—"

"We're done, Merrian," said Marcus, coming over to the family and adjusting his gloves.

"—would be Marcus," Merrian finished and sighed. "Could you not wait until I was done talking to my wife?"

"No."

Merrian sighed. Marcus was rude and straight-forward, but it was hard for the Vice-Admiral to find subordinates that weren't scared of him in some capacity. Marcus could be frustrating, but Merrian was glad not to have to use his feared reputation with the man. Even some of Merrian's colleagues and superiors didn't speak quite like Marcus did.

Merrian suspected it had something to do with Marcus's years as a pirate.

"Well, have we gotten any word from _**Grant**_?" he asked, adjust Don again. The toddler shouted in objection.

"Yeah, he said he should be at the port town in a matter of hours and to let you know that Wolfie called."

One of Merrian's eyebrows rose. "Oh? So he got the message?"

"Yeah," Marcus answered, "He said he'll wait for your orders before leaving The Hive and wishes you good luck in capturing Black Crow."

Merrian chuckled, slightly amused that Wolfie, of all people, thought he'd be able to catch Black Crow. It was true that Merrian had faced the Revolutionary before, and lived. He had the scars to prove it.

"He's probably hoping we get the job done so he can come back from that stupid mission you put him on," Marcus added.

Uzura smiled. "I think you miss him, Captain."

Marcus glared at her, muttered something, and went to the other side of the ship. Merrian watched him go and then looked out at the desert. Black Crow...Shidyk D. Shade and his companions...They were just ahead, waiting for them.

One of his scars started to sting and he winced.

Uzura noticed. "Dear? Are you alright?"

Those words snapped Merrian to attention and he smiled, "Just fine, Uzu-chan, just fine."

_Desert, en route to Rainbase, hours later…_

"It's so hot…!"

Shade groaned in agreement with Paikea as the heat of the day continued to pour down on the group. It had been rather quiet, which was driving Shade insane, and shuffling along on the hot sand did not help his mood. The assassin had wanted adventure, excitement, or at the very least, a surprise to distract him from the monotony of the swirling sands. He didn't know how Rayo and Isaac felt—they simply trekked along silently—but Jinko seemed to be in her element, leading them over endless dunes with no indication that she was getting tired.

Paikea huffed as she made her way through the scorching sands, trying hard not to lose face most likely due to her "Shandian Pride" as she called it. Shade had at one point tried to give the child a piggy-back ride but Paikea had made it clear that she wanted to walk on her own two feet. Isaac had also tried to help the young girl, but like Shade, he had been rejected.

The one person that had made no complains throughout the whole ordeal other than Jinko was Rayo. The raven-haired man kept whispering under his breath, as if he could hear something in the hot wind and was conversing with it. Whatever he was doing was bothering Isaac, who kept glaring at him. Shade caught Isaac's fist twitching a few times, ready to stikes, but elbowed his friend in the side and shook his head. Isaac was left with no option but to continue glaring. While the glare was murderous, Rayo ignored it and kept going on under his breath about something that sounded like the history of Alabasta.

Shade was ready to ask Jinko if they were going to rest any time soon when she suddenly stopped, causing Paikea run into her.

Jinko looked around, and Rayo stopped whispering to ask her, "Any reason why we're stopping?"

As if in answer, the sand before them began to rise before a gigantic lizard burst from the forth and roared at the group. The beast opened its jaws and drool hit the sand as it slowly lumbered toward them. Jinko's eyes widened and she cried, "It's a _**Sandora Dragon**_!"

While Paikea screamed in terror, the men of the group merely looked at the giant lizard as a curiosity rather than a threat. Shade cocked his head to the side as he questioned his friends. "Think it's strong?"

Rayo shrugged. "Who knows? I'm just wondering if it has any suitable meat to consume."

"I suppose we could do worse," Isaac said, crossing his arms and looking up at the beast, which was now standing over them.

Shade nodded and jumped with inhuman speed, reaching the Sandora Dragon's head in a second before he raised one of his hands and clutched it into a fist.

"_**Gigantes Strike**_!"

The Sandora Dragon never stood a chance. Shade's fist collided with its head, followed by a loud cracking sound. It stood for a second before flopping over into the sand. Shade grinned widely. "Dinner's ready!"

Jinko sighed in relief. Paikea stood awestruck by Shade's strength. She had never thought she would see someone take down a giant lizard in a single hit. She was seeing a lot of things she never expected to see.

Rayo and Isaac went to work on finding the edible parts of the large lizard. Both stopped when Isaac began to listen at the beast's gut and motioned for Rayo to be silent.

Shade jumped down to join his friend. "What's up?"

"I think there's something alive in there," Isaac replied, still listening closely.

Both Rayo and Shade pressed their ears to the Sandora Dragon's belly and listened. There was a faint noise coming from inside. Isaac turned to Jinko.

"Let me see your sword," he said. "I'm going to cut it open."

Jinko glowered at him, offended by his suggestion.

"Oh, please. It's not like you don't use it to cut things open."

Jinko sighed, unsheathed her blade, and got to work cutting the Dragon's stomach open. After a few moments, the travellers were met by an odd group from within the belly of the Dragon. Four large yellow ducks with spots on their back had come out of the Sandora Dragon, Shade thought they looked really silly with their large sombreros and the moustaches that the leader and the shortest of the ducks sported on their beaks.

Isaac let out a horrified scream and proceeded to faint, landing in the sand with a light thud.

Rayo snorted at the unconscious assassin. "He still does that? Pathetic."

Shade wanted to say something to Rayo about it, but he really couldn't think of a way to save his friend's dignity. Isaac had this thing about birds.

Jinko squealed in delight as she hugged the leader of the ducks. "I can't believe it! It's a group of _**Super Spot-Billed Ducks**_!"

"Super Spot-Billed Ducks?" Shade asked.

"They're some of the fastest creatures in all of Alabasta!" Jinko said, smiling. "They can run even faster than a leopard and they're really kind birds."

As if to justify her words, the leader of the ducks patted Jinko's head with his wings and to everyone's surprise, didn't quack but let out an audible, "Ma!"

As if on cue, each of the ducks called out, "Ri! Ah! Chi!" in perfect harmony.

Paikea giggled as she walked over to the duck that had cried "Ri!" and looked at it. "The Blue Seas has some really weird animals."

Ri looked quite hurt but was cheered on by the other ducks, Ah and Chi, before calling out his name again. Shade laughed. "I guess we're having a party!"

_Later, that night…_

The nine of them—Isaac eventually woke up, but refused to get within twenty feet of the ducks—laughed and sang as the night settled in and they enjoyed the remains of the Sandora Dragon in a stew that Jinko prepared. As it turned out, the Mariachi Ducks (as the group was calling them) seem to enjoy music (to Jinko's delight) and sang in turn with Shade while Jinko played on her flute.

Rayo was sketching the ducks away in a small book while Isaac told Paikea of the adventures they had been on before meeting her. Shade felt lighter, temporarily freed from any worries or guilt, and enjoyed as the birds began to act as if they were playing different instruments as Jinko danced. The night slipped away as the food disappeared and everyone slowly fell to sleep with Shade and Isaac being the last two awake to see the moon travel across the star filled night.

Shade looked into the dying fire, lost in thought. Isaac watched him suspiciously. He didn't trust it when Shade was so deep in thought. It usually meant he was going to do something dumb. Maybe erratic thinking worked in battle, but Isaac knew Shade wasn't planning out any strategy for the eventual fight with Black Crow. He didn't do strategies. His reckless ways were one of the reasons he had the title "Misfire Assassin."

"Okay, I give. What are you thinking about now?" Isaac asked, sighing.

Shade looked offended. "What kind of tone is that?"

"An appropriate one. Well?"

Shade looked back into the fire and said, in an even voice, "I think we should put a crew together."

Isaac blinked and made sure he heard right, "You…want to get a crew?"

Shade nodded as he looked at his bandaged arm, "Yeah…these last few days have been pretty fun because we've been around people. I haven't had this much fun in years and…well, I kind of been thinking…"

Isaac waited to let his friend finished before Shade finished with a sheepish laugh, "Well, I just think it'd be fun."

Isaac clicked his tongue. "A crew would be good. Everything is only going to get more dangerous from here."

"I get to be captain."

"Why the hell do you get to be captain?"

"Because it's my crew and I paid for most of the Roaring Dragon."

Isaac snorted. "Fair enough."

"You can be my First Mate," Shade added, grinning.

Isaac chuckled at the idea.

"We'll also need a navigator," Shade continued.

"Why can't I be navigator? I've been navigating us through the Grand Line for years," Isaac said.

"We need an awesome navigator. A born navigator. You've gotten us lost."

"That was one time!"

"And my ass still hurts from what happened on that weird island."

Isaac sighed. "Well, considering how reckless you are and how we always have to deal with Merrian's assorted weirdoes, we'll need a shipwright, and someone to man the cannons. And a cook."

"Why can't you be the cook?" Shade asked.

"Because I'm the First Mate and I hate cooking for you!"

"Oi…"

"We'll need a doctor too," Isaac said. "And possibly someone to help manage our money, and keep you from over-spending on meat."

"We also need a musician," Shade said quickly.

"Of course," Isaac said. "Everyone loves music."

"And a historian."

"A historian."

"Yeah."

"Why the hell do we need a historian?"

"To…uh…deal with…old stuff…?"

"YOU'RE JUST LOOKING FOR A REASON TO INVITE VERRANI INTO THE CREW!"

"…Yeah."

As if roused by his name, Rayo was standing behind them, yawning. He gave no indication that he had heard them and told them that he would take over and that they should get some sleep.

_Morning, en route to Rainbase…_

As the sun rose over the desert, Paikea cried as she hugged the Mariachi Ducks one by one as the two groups exchanged farewells (except for Isaac, who just sort of waved from a distance). Shade felt bad that they had to say good-bye, but the ducks were wild animals and probably needed to go. After everyone said their good-byes, the group of humans started towards Rainbase once again.

"They're following us," Rayo said, looking over his shoulder.

The others turned and were surprised to see the Mariachi Ducks were indeed following behind at a steady pace. When the group stopped, the ducks stopped a short distance away before calling out together.

Jinko looked thoughtful for a moment and then walked over to Ma. "Do you want to help us? Is that why you're following us?"

The ducks cheered in unison before Jinko smiled at the others, "We got a ride, everyone!"

Shade and Paikea cheered and ran over to the ducks, followed by Rayo, who was smiling. Isaac didn't move.

"I am not riding one of those things," he said. "No offense."

"Then you can walk," Rayo said, climbing onto Chi. "Though I doubt you'll survive on your own."

Jinko picked Paikea up and placed her on Ri before getting on Ah, "Isaac, they're offering and it would be rude to say no."

"It's not happening," Isaac said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away.

Shade frowned, approached his friend, and punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious. The ducks all squawked in horror, accompanied by a cry of shock from Paikea. Rayo and Jinko just sighed.

Shade tossed Isaac on Ma's back and climbed up with him. "Alright everyone, Rainbase or bust!"

The Mariachi ducks called in unison and burst forth with tremendous speed towards Rainbase. Shade laughed as he shouted for his duck to go even faster while the others followed as closely as they could. Hours went by as the sand passed away in dizzying speeds as the group rode on when the last thing they expected to see in a desert loomed on the horizon.

"Is that a ship?" Paikea asked, awe-struck.

Rayo waved it off, "Probably a mirage of some sort."

"That's not it!" Jinko shouted. "That's the _**Barbar Pirates**_!"

Shade looked surprised. "The Barbar pirates? Never heard of them."

Jinko quickly turned Ah away from the ship. "They're sand pirates! We need to get a move on before their sand sleds catch up to us!"

Rayo rode up alongside Jinko. "Why are you so concerned about these people?"

"They go around the desert causing trouble and stealing the food they can find from others!"

Shade's eyes widened when he heard this and he glared back at the pirate ship. "Stealing food? How low can you get!?"

Though Shade would've loved nothing more to teach the pirates a lesson, the others were able to convince him to leave the ship alone. They hid behind a sand dune as the ship sailed by, no one on board noticing them. Everyone sighed in relief, before Rayo noted something off from the direction the ship had come from. The sky looked oddly red and when he turned to ask Jinko, she was white as a ghost.

"SANDSTORM!"

That word was enough to get the ducks scared as they raced back in the direction they had come from and began to run beside the ship. To their surprise, a rope ladder fell from the side of the ship as a voice called down, "Get on! The sandstorm is going to get rough if you're on those ducks!"

Shade looked at the others before he looked at the ship and looked back to the others. "What do you think, Jin-chan?"

Jinko looked rather baffled but as the wind picked up, she called, "Everyone, get on!"

One by one, everyone got on board with Shade sticking to the bottom of the rope ladder to help the Mariachi Ducks onboard before he joined the rest. After getting over the rail, he saw Ma—Isaac still hanging off his back—retreat through a door that was being held open by a young woman with an umbrella in her hair. She looked up to Shade and shouted over the howling winds. "Quickly! We're going to weigh anchor and ride out this storm!"

Shade nodded and headed inside. The woman shut the door behind him and called out. "The last one is in, Captain!"

"Alright, weigh anchor! We should be fine once the storm settles!"

Shade's eyes adjusted to the lamplight and he could see that he was going down some stairs and into what looked to be a mess hall. Around him, people were running back and forth to prepare for the sandstorm. Seated in the middle of the room were his friends and the ducks, as well as a man that Shade assumed was the captain. He was a large fellow with a fuzzy beard and equally fuzzy eyebrows. He wore a cloak and, like the rest of the men in the place, had a little umbrella on his head.

The large man laughed as he sat before the group. "Well, this is a new one! You guys are lucky we got to you before the storm really got ugly!"

Paikea and Jinko huddled close, wary of the large man. Isaac, having woken up from his hit to the face, was trying to breathe deeply, no doubt unhappy about having woken up on Ma's back. Rayo was sitting quietly and looking around, a stick of pocky in his mouth.

"You the captain?" Shade asked, looking the man over.

The large man smacked his chest as his umbrella popped open. "You bet! The name's _**Barbarossa**_ and I am Captain of the one and only Barbar pirates!"

The men around cheered and all of their umbrellas opened at the same time. This seemed to help Paikea, at least, as she covered her mouth to stifle some giggles.

Jinko glared dangerously at Barbarossa. "Why did you save us?"

Barbarossa didn't seem disturbed by the glare and laughed. "Well, we couldn't let you guys to die out there, now could we? Being swallowed by a sandstorm is a lousy way to go!"

Shade was silent for a moment before laughing. He extended his hand to shake Barbarossa's. "Well, I'm glad you showed up! I'd hate to have to dig sand out of my clothes."

The tense atmosphere dispersed as the two men shook hands. While the wind howled outside and the ship creaked as the storm went on, the interior was filled with laugher and music. The two groups drank and swapped stories and sang along with Jinko and the Mariachi Ducks. Off-colour jokes bounced off the walls and a brawl broke out between Shade and two Barbar crew members that was quickly ended by Barbarossa whacking them over the heads and then providing more drinks.

Isaac seemed to be the only one who remembered that there was a sandstorm outside. He joined the woman who had helped them aboard—_**Rasa**_, she said her name was—and found out that once the storm cleared, it would be another ten hours to Rainbase.

"So what's the story on him?" Rasa asked, nodding towards Rayo, who was writing in a small book.

Isaac waved the question off. "He's just a tagalong, nothing special."

Rasa continued to stare as Rayo accepted a drink from one of the crew. She frowned, tapping the side of her cup, and her brow furrowed slightly.

"Don't even bother with him," Isaac said, downing the rest of his drink. "You seem like a tough, intelligent woman. He's only interested in people he can feel superior to."

"I wasn't thinking anything like that!"

"See? You are intelligent."

After another hour, the winds died down and the group helped the Barbar Pirates set sail towards Rainbase. Both Shade and Isaac were glad to see that Paikea was getting along with Barbar Pirates, laughing at Barbarossa's jokes and trying to tell a few of her own. Even when a pair of Sandora Dragons attacked again, Paikea actually tried to help them out by throwing a harpoon someone had given her to defend herself with. It was good to see she was getting used to the Blue Sea.

As another sunset settled in, the Barbar pirates allowed the group to leave the ship. Isaac had to be knocked unconscious again and thrown onto Ma's back. Once the group was ready to go, Rasa called down to them. "You'll be at Rainbase by morning if you don't stop! Just head northeast from here!"

"Thanks again for the ride guys!" Shade called, waving. "If we ever come back, we'll have to have a proper party!"

Barbarossa laughed. "Sounds like a plan! We'll make you all honorary crew members when you come back!"

With the final good-byes made, the group sped off on their ducks as the sun finished its descent.

_Rainbase, Rain Dinners; same time…_

From within the shadows of the basement of Rainbase's biggest and most elaborate casino, Rain Dinners, Black Crow the Revolutionary listened in on Shichibukai Sir Crocodile's plan to obtain _**Pluton**_, one of the **_Ancient Weapons_**. He had to give the man credit. It was a grand and elaborate plan and, while the pirate seemed more than intelligent enough to pull it off, Black Crow didn't doubt it would fail. He had seen many intelligent men plan in such ways and there was always something that went wrong. Some little error their egos didn't let them notice.

Crocodile would be no different.

One of Black Crow's men had informed him that Shidyk D. Shade was sighted in Nanohana and the Marines' Special Forces Unit had closed off the harbour. Black Crow knew that the assassin would try to cross the desert from the river and that Merrian would personally go after him. If things worked the way that the Revolutionary thought they would, then the assassin would arrive far ahead of the Vice-Admiral.

He looked forward to meeting the boy he had "cursed" and chuckled silently as Crocodile terminated Mr. 3.

_**END OF CHAPTER 7**_

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_**Translations and Explanations Section: **_**  
**Okay this is where I tell you a little bit more about the terms I used for my fan-fiction. They may or may not be perfect, so please comment if I had done some sort of error. This is also where you'll find out more about the next chapter.

_**Silver Gryphon**_ – One of the smaller scout ships that the Marines' Special Forces Unit use when traveling. It is also used in recon missions and as one of Merrian's personal yachts for when not in service.

_**Grant**_ – Rear-Admiral Arnold Grant is the leader of the Tank Division of the Special Forces Unit. A large Marine Official who prides in the "Grant Family Tradition," he is also well known to be proud of his very muscular physique. He has eaten one of the Ancient Zoan Devil Fruits and is very capable in combat. He is one of Merrian's oldest friends and both tend to play cards when they're not busy.

_**Sandora Dragon**_ – A giant, purple lizard that hides underground and only comes out to attack that lives in the Sandora Desert.

_**Gigantes Strike**_ – Shade jumps into the air and smashes his opponent's head in with his fist. It is capable of crushing even the head of a Sandora Dragon in. The Gigantes were children of Gaea in Greek Mythology, giants with snake-like legs/tails who battled against the Olympians and were only defeated when the Olympians enlisted the help of Heracles/Hercules.

_**Super Spot-Billed Ducks**_ – A type of duck that has web-less feet and comes from Alabasta. They are incredibly fast runners, reaching speeds faster than a leopard.

_**Barbar Pirates**_ – The Barbar Pirates are sand pirates of Alabasta. The Barbar Pirates are skilled with sand sailors. It is shown they often clash with desert bandits. They travel the desert searching for food. All the members wear little umbrellas on their heads. While searching for water, Luffy accidentally broke the Barbar Pirates' ship and decide to go to Melias to search for wood in order to repair their ship. They appear in the anime only.

_**Barbarossa**_ – Captain of the Barbar Pirates.

_**Rasa**_ – A member of the Barbar Pirates and the ship's navigator.

_**Ancient Weapon**_ - The Ancient Weapons are three weapons capable of mass destruction, each taking a different form. They are known as Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus. The weapons are not limited only to inanimate objects, but consist of living beings as well.

_**Pluton**_ - One of the three ancient weapons, alongside Poseidon and Uranus. Pluton is a huge warship capable of mass destruction, constructed long ago in the city of Water 7 in the Grand Line. It is said to be capable of destroying whole islands.

_Paikea: On the next Chapter of Legacy of the Assassin!_

_Shade: Rainbase at last!_

_Rayo: Looks like we have even more trouble ahead._

_Black Crow: So we meet again, Shidyk D. Shade. _

_Isaac: Where did Shade get to!?_

_Jinko: Next time on Legacy of the Assassin! __**Surpass the Past! The Black Crow Descends**__**!**_

_**The 6th chapter an in between chapter before Shade meets up his enemy for the first time. We get to meet some interesting characters, including the Barbar Pirates from the anime! Things are about to get really dangerous when Shade and the gang hit Rainbase, so don't miss it!**_

_**Shidyk D. Shade**_


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